Rafael Jodar is still very young - he turned 20 on September 17 - and will have plenty of time to correct certain character excesses.

What happened at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, however, has caused discussion, leaving behind an episode that is anything but nice.

During the match against Botic van de Zandschulp, specifically at the beginning of the second set, the Spaniard addressed a ball boy in a disrespectful way, pronouncing the phrase: "Give me that f***ing towel". An over-the-top exit that did not go unnoticed and that led the chair judge to sanction him with a fair warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Jodar apologized during the subsequent press conference, acknowledging the mistake and showing willingness to work to improve his behavior on the court. "It was my mistake. After the game, I thought about it for a long time: I shouldn't have done it. I have great respect for ball boys and referees, always. I was angry with myself and I couldn't control my emotions. I also have to learn how to behave on the court. There are so many things I have to work on, I'm not perfect: I'm a human being and I make mistakes. I'll learn from this story," he explained.

Vincenzo Santopadre, at 'Tennis Talk', exposed himself on the matter by offering valuable advice to Jodar. The Italian coach said he was first of all surprised by some of the reactions that involved the current world number 11, because he actually seems to be a rather shy and closed guy

"He must be very careful about it, because he will then eventually have to manage these unpleasant situations," Santopadre said to the program aired on SuperTennis. "It would be good for him to pay attention to it and take countermeasures, working on it. Certainly it is also a particular thing: these utterances from him who seems to be, at least for how he appears, introverted and taciturn are strange. The more you go up, the more certain behaviors become media moreover".

Joao Fonseca has confirmed that he will face Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition match in Brazil later this year, despite recently announcing that his 2026 ATP season was over.

The 20-year-old Brazilian tennis star will meet the former world No. 1 on December 12 in Sao Paulo, with the match scheduled to take place at Nubank Parque, the home stadium of Brazilian football club Palmeiras.

The exhibition, called Sao Paulo Super Match, was originally announced in December 2025. However, there were some questions about whether it would still happen after the Brazilian decided to finish his competitive season earlier than planned.

Fonseca has now confirmed that he will play the match, and the young player is quite happy about another opportunity to face the six-time Grand Slam champion.

In a video published on Instagram on Thursday, October 22, the Brazilian invited fans to attend the event and spoke about getting another chance against the Spanish tennis star.

"Hey everyone, it's João Fonseca, and I have an invitation for you," the Brazilian said.

"After that match in Miami, it's time for a rematch—and this time, it'll be on home soil. On December 12th, I'll be taking the court in São Paulo to face none other than Carlos Alcaraz. It's going to be awesome! I can't wait to see you all there. Thanks, and see you in December!" he added.

joão fonseca and carlos alcaraz https://t.co/Ona46Hz6Zq

— carol (@biahadad) December 23, 2024

The two players have already met twice, although only one of those matches was part of an official ATP tournament.

Their first meeting took place in December 2025 at an exhibition event in Miami, where Alcaraz defeated the Brazilian 7-5, 2-6, 10-8.

They faced each other again in March 2026 at the Miami Open. The Spaniard won that match 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the Masters 1000 tournament.

The Brazilian was quite excited before his first official match against Alcaraz, particularly because he had played Jannik Sinner at Indian Wells just nine days earlier.

The Italian defeated him 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in their fourth-round meeting, with the young Brazilian having three set points in the opening set.

Before facing the Spaniard in Miami, Fonseca stressed that he wanted to approach the match with confidence.

"I'm going to face this match as an opportunity. Of course, facing Jannik in the last tournament and now Alcaraz is such a great improvement for me as a player and trying to figure out problems. There's going to be problems… You can play perfect, but these guys are just so good that they can beat you," Fonseca said.

The former Next Gen ATP Finals champion also spoke about his mentality against the world's best players.

"I need to face him with the mentality that I can win. I think that's the mentality and trying to be brave, enjoy the time, enjoy the learning and enjoy the process on court. But of course, I want to win," the Brazilian added.

Following his defeat to Alcaraz, the Brazilian compared the Spaniard with Sinner, explaining that their playing styles were quite different.

"I think Alcaraz has more arsenal than Sinner. Sinner is more like a robot that just kills the ball and does everything perfect. Carlos, he can do everything. He can do with topspin, can fire the ball, he has good movement. Goes to the net. He has everything," Fonseca said during his Miami press conference.

The young player also admitted that the Spaniard had caused him problems with his variety of shots and changes of rhythm.

Despite the defeat, Fonseca left Miami feeling more confident about his tennis and was happy to have competed against the two leading players on the ATP Tour.

On October 17, Fonseca announced that he would not play another official tournament in 2026, deciding to focus on recovery and preparations for next season.

The Brazilian had been expected to compete at the ATP 500 tournament in Basel, where he won the title last year, and the Paris Masters.

However, after speaking with his team, the 20-year-old decided that returning to competition was not the right decision at this stage.

He has experienced several physical problems throughout the year, including an abdominal injury that prevented him from participating in the US Open.

In his announcement, the Brazilian explained that he did not want to rush his return.

"The objective was to return in time to defend the title in Basel and end the year at the Masters 1000 in Paris," Fonseca said.

"Together with my team, I understood that I'm still not in ideal condition to compete at the level I would like and that we don't need to rush my return. So we decided to prioritize recovery and focus on planning for 2027," he added.

Last year, Fonseca celebrated the biggest title of his career in Basel, defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-4 in the final.

At 19, he became the youngest Basel champion since 1989 and the first Brazilian to win an ATP 500 singles title since the category was introduced.

The former world No. 24 also won his first ATP title in Buenos Aires in February 2025, after previously winning the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals.

His early finish to the current season means that he will lose the ranking points earned in Basel last year, where 500 points were available to the champion.

Fonseca ended his official 2026 campaign with 20 victories from 33 matches, with his most recent competitive appearance taking place in September during Brazil's Davis Cup campaign.

Although the Brazilian will not play another ATP event this year, the December exhibition against Alcaraz remains part of his preparations for returning to the tour in January 2027.

Elena Rybakina stepped up when it mattered to avoid a shock Ningbo quarterfinal loss after dominating the third set to complete a 6-1 3-6 6-1 win over qualifier and world No. 128 Katarzyna Kawa.

Rybakina, who is the defending champion in Ningbo, was all over the Polish qualifier early on as she claimed two breaks and faced no break points. The reigning Australian Open and US Open champion also started the second set with a break in the opening game.

Down by a set and a break, 33-year-old Kawa - who clinched her first top-30 win by upsetting Belinda Bencic a day earlier - refused to quit and stunningly earned three breaks to overturn the deficit and force a decider.

After suffering a collapse in the second set, the world No. 1 immediately regrouped at the start of the third and went 3-0 up before earning another break in the sixth game.

Rybakina was also rock solid behind her serve in the decider as she didn't allow Kawa a single break point.

A little tricky today but the defending champ is back in the semis! 🎮↩️ Elena Rybakina defeats Katarzyna Kawa 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 and will face Diana Shnaider next. #NingboOpen https://t.co/gduo93uYwu

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 23, 2026

Despite the defeat, it was still an outstanding week for Kawa, who is set to improve 22 spots on the updated WTA rankings list and achieve a new career-high ranking of No. 106 in the world.

Standing between Rybakina and her second consecutive Ningbo final is No. 6 seed Shnaider, who defeated Iva Jovic earlier today.

For the 27-year-old Kazakh, that will be her seventh semifinal of the year.

Heading into the Ningbo semifinal, Rybakina holds a 2-0 head-to-head against Shnaider after beating the Russian earlier this year in Stuttgart and Cincinnati.

Former world No. 9 Andrea Petkovic has reacted to the divorce of Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina, explaining how difficult it can be for professional tennis players to maintain relationships while spending most of the year traveling.

The German former tennis star spoke about the situation on Tennis Channel's The Big T podcast alongside Brad Gilbert, following the announcement that the Frenchman and Ukrainian were ending their marriage after five years.

Petkovic stressed that she was not interested in gossip about the couple's private life. However, she felt that their separation was worth mentioning because of the attention it had received in the tennis world.

The 39-year-old also expressed sadness that Monfils would not get the farewell he had planned in front of his home fans in Paris.

The former world No. 6 recently withdrew from the Lyon tournament and will also not compete at the Paris Masters, where he had been expected to play the final professional tournament of his career.

The 40-year-old French veteran has already officially retired, with his name appearing on the International Tennis Integrity Agency's list of retired players on October 5.

For Petkovic, the conversation was also an opportunity to speak about the problems she experienced during her own playing career.

The former German No. 1 explained that spending many months away from home can create difficulties, particularly when players are still young and trying to build relationships.

"I just wanted to talk a little about how difficult it is to have a relationship as a tennis player. Sometimes you would meet somebody, you would start dating, then you are gone, for like, 8 weeks. When you are 22, 23, 24, a whole life happens in 8 weeks. You know, you come back, you don't recognize each other anymore," Petkovic said.

The former French Open semifinalist was quite familiar with traveling around the world, having spent more than 15 years on the professional tour before retiring in 2022.

During that period, the German competed at all four Grand Slam tournaments and reached the world's top 10. Her best Grand Slam result was a semifinal appearance at the 2014 French Open, where she lost to Simona Halep.

Petkovic won seven WTA singles titles during her career, with her last trophy arriving in Cluj-Napoca in 2021.

She also spoke about the amount of time tennis players spend away from their partners, friends and families during the season.

Former coach Brad Gilbert, who was also present on the podcast, had a slightly different opinion.

"Relationships are the same for everybody. Whether or not you are playing, you are not playing. They have all your challenges. You know it's like a tennis match. A lot of peaks and valleys," Gilbert said.

The American previously coached Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Coco Gauff. His most recent coaching partnership with Gauff ended in September 2024, a year after the American won her first Grand Slam tournament at the US Open.

Neither Petkovic nor Gilbert claimed to know the private reasons behind the end of Monfils and Svitolina's marriage.

On October 19, Svitolina announced that she and Monfils were separating. The Ukrainian revealed that the ongoing war in her country had affected her emotionally over the last several years.

The former world No. 3 explained that she had experienced many difficult moments, including sleepless nights and doubts about her personal life.

"This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to share," Svitolina wrote.

The 32-year-old also thanked her husband for remaining by her side during difficult periods.

"Gael saw all of it. He never let go of my hand," she said.

The couple began dating in 2018 before getting married in July 2021. Their daughter, Skai, was born in October 2022.

The Ukrainian stressed that their daughter would remain their first priority despite the divorce.

"Our marriage is ending, but our family is not. We will always be her parents, side by side, at every step of her life," Svitolina wrote.

A day after the announcement, the former Wimbledon semifinalist published another message to clarify some of her earlier comments.

She stressed that the war in Ukraine was not the only reason behind her decision.

"But the truth is, there's so much more to it, and it was never just about one thing," the Ukrainian explained.

Svitolina also confirmed that the situation surrounding their marriage had influenced Monfils' decision to finish his professional career earlier than originally planned.

The veteran had previously announced that 2026 would be his last season, but fans were expecting him to say goodbye at the Paris Masters.

His final professional singles match instead took place at the US Open in September, where he lost to American Learner Tien in the second round.

Monfils finished his career with 13 ATP singles titles and a career-high ranking of world No. 6. He also reached two Grand Slam semifinals, at the 2008 French Open and the 2016 US Open.

Earlier this season, the Frenchman and Svitolina played mixed doubles together at the US Open, reaching the semifinals.

The Ukrainian has continued competing on the WTA Tour and is currently ranked sixth in the world.

She recently reached the quarterfinals of the Wuhan Open and secured qualification for the season-ending WTA Finals in Indian Wells.

Monfils, meanwhile, is scheduled to appear at an exhibition event in Switzerland in December alongside Stan Wawrinka, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, although his professional career has officially ended.

Ian Poulter has officially confirmed that he is leaving LIV Golf after four years, with the former Ryder Cup star deciding not to take part in the league's planned new format for 2027.

The 50-year-old English golfer announced his decision on social media on Friday, explaining that he wants to spend more time with his family and focus on a different stage of his career.

Poulter was one of the first well-known players to join LIV Golf when the Saudi-backed competition started in June 2022.

However, the English veteran has now decided against continuing with the league, which has experienced financial problems in recent months.

LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States in September after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund announced that it would no longer provide the same financial support beyond 2026.

The competition is currently working on a new business model for next year, with plans to introduce a 75-player roster and a different ownership structure.

However, several established players have already decided not to participate in the proposed project.

Poulter has now become another familiar name to leave, following a similar announcement from former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen earlier this week.

The Englishman published a lengthy statement on his social media accounts, admitting that deciding to leave LIV Golf had not been easy.

"I wanted everyone to hear it direct from me that I have decided to not move forward with being part of LIV 2.0," Poulter wrote.

The former Ryder Cup star stressed that he had spoken with his family and team before making the decision.

"Needless to say, it was a tough decision and one I thought about and discussed at length with my family and team," he added.

Poulter turned 50 in January and is now eligible to compete in senior golf tournaments.

He explained that travelling around the world had become less attractive to him and that he wanted to have more opportunities to spend time at home.

"Ultimately, the opportunity to spend more time at home with my family, reduce international travel, focus on senior golf and have the opportunity to pursue other interests was something that I felt was right for me at this stage of my life and career," the Englishman said.

Despite his departure, Poulter stressed that he remained proud of his involvement in LIV Golf.

The 50-year-old was part of Majesticks GC alongside fellow English veteran Lee Westwood, with the team also developing projects aimed at introducing younger people to golf.

"Clearly, LIV Golf has divided opinion, but to be part of the founding group that took world class golf around the globe, showcased our great game to a new audience, built a team brand in Majesticks GC, helped innovate tournament formats and establish a leading community impact program in Little Sticks, is something I will be forever proud of," Poulter wrote.

The English golfer joined LIV Golf in 2022 after spending many years competing on the European Tour and PGA Tour.

During his professional career, Poulter has won 17 tournaments worldwide, including 12 European Tour titles and three PGA Tour events.

He also represented Europe in seven Ryder Cups and was part of five winning teams.

One of his best-known performances arrived at Medinah in 2012, when Europe recovered from a 10-6 deficit heading into the final day to defeat the United States 14.5-13.5.

Poulter won all four of his matches during that competition and played an important role in Europe's comeback.

His last PGA Tour victory arrived at the 2018 Houston Open, where he defeated Beau Hossler in a playoff.

He was also runner-up to Padraig Harrington at the 2008 Open Championship.

Although Poulter is leaving LIV Golf, he has made it clear that he is not finished with competitive golf.

The 50-year-old plans to participate in some senior tournaments while continuing to develop his YouTube channel, The Postman.

"As for what's next for me, I'm genuinely excited about this next chapter. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my family, continuing to develop The Postman YouTube channel, sharing more of my life, golf, experiences and competing in some senior events," Poulter wrote.

The Englishman also wants to support his two sons, Luke Poulter and Joshua Poulter, as they continue developing their golf careers.

Luke has already represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup and hopes to become a professional golfer.

Meanwhile, Joshua, who is 14, is also interested in golf and is working on improving his game.

"Having spent so many years travelling the world chasing my own golfing dreams, the opportunity to now spend more time supporting my boys as they chase theirs is something that means a great deal to me," Poulter said.

The English veteran is eligible to compete on the Legends Tour, although a potential move to PGA Tour Champions could involve additional restrictions because of his previous involvement with LIV Golf.

His departure follows the decision of Louis Oosthuizen, who confirmed on Wednesday that he would also leave the competition.

The South African, who won the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews, explained that he wanted more control over his schedule and did not want to continue travelling internationally for individual tournaments.

Several other players, including Adrian Meronk, David Puig, Abraham Ancer, Charles Howell III and Thomas Pieters, have also been reported among those leaving the league.

Another big departure involves Jon Rahm, whose representatives have challenged the conditions of the proposed LIV Golf 2.0 agreement.

The Spanish golfer joined LIV at the beginning of 2024 and became one of the competition's most recognizable names.

His decision to leave represents another problem for the league as it attempts to prepare for the 2027 season.

LIV Golf entered a court-supervised restructuring process on September 8, with BC Partners Credit involved in plans to finance a reorganized competition.

The league has also received commitments for temporary financial support from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund during the bankruptcy process.

Poulter, meanwhile, said he remained grateful to the people he worked with during his four years in the competition.

"After all these years, golf has given me so much, and I'm excited about what lies ahead, both on and off the course. Thanks again to everyone who has been part of the journey so far! We certainly aren't done yet!" he concluded.

Novak Djokovic has found a goal to chase for this season finale in 2026: to earn a pass to play the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Last year, Novak also took the court in the last week to face the 'home' 250 in Athens but then decided to give up the appointment giving this opportunity to Lorenzo Musetti. This year the Serbian is not currently in the top eight, as he was well in 2025, but he has more desire to compete during the event.

The words of the Belgrade champion upon arrival in the Shanghai Masters 1000 had not gone unnoticed: "I will definitely do everything I can to qualify for Turin. I would love to be there. I haven't played there since 2023, so it would be great to be able to go back. Even before winning in Beijing, that was my goal."

"You should never give up on Djokovic. Sinner is out and suddenly we could find ourselves saying: 'Oh, Djokovic just won in Basel. Jodar is there, but what's going on?' imagined the former British tennis player, reflecting on the issue during his podcast. "All of this adds even more interest to the ATP circuit right now. Don't underestimate Nole: when he says he wants something, most of the time he gets it."

Nole is currently 11th in the Race standings and could take advantage of the absence of number 2 Jannik Sinner. The last place that guarantees a pass to Turin has become the ninth, now occupied by the young Spaniard Rafael Jodar. There are just over 300 points between the two: for this reason, the Serbian has decided to return to play in the '500' of Basel to make up ground, and not only in Paris for the last Masters 1000 of the season.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner is still motivated in the most important tournaments on the calendar and recently won the Beijing ATP 500, unleashing a series of exceptional performances for a 39-year-old player.

The highly publicized, two-year romantic saga between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa continues to generate shockwaves long after their official split. What initially appeared as the ultimate tennis power couple has steadily devolved into a bitter exchange of veiled critiques and public reflections, proving that the fallout from their on-again, off-again relationship is far from settled.

The narrative surrounding the breakup was initially set by the Spanish star during a remarkably candid press conference in Berlin earlier this year. Badosa pulled no punches when describing the suffocating nature of their dynamic, labeling the environment as deeply unhealthy.

"I’ve been through many breakups, and I accept them. But when there are toxic elements involved, things get much more complicated," Badosa revealed at the time. She emphasized that overcoming that specific toxicity was a difficult but necessary step to reclaim her strength, boldly adding: "Tomorrow, I’ll probably see headlines claiming that Badosa is attacking Tsitsipas. Well, he deserves it."

For months, Tsitsipas absorbed the public scrutiny in relative silence. However, during a recent media availability at the ATP 250 event in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the current World No. 39 finally offered his own perspective. While he carefully avoided mentioning his former partner by name, his pointed remarks regarding the pitfalls of dating a fellow professional athlete left absolutely no room for misinterpretation.

Addressing the intense media spotlight that followed them everywhere on tour, the Greek player confessed that the constant blending of his personal and professional lives became psychologically overwhelming.

"I had the impression that my tennis life was being duplicated," Tsitsipas explained to reporters, as transcribed by BB Tennis. "It was too much; I felt anxious. I’ve always preferred a life alongside someone who doesn’t do the same job as me. It helps me stay calm and keeps my mind clearer."

Tsitsipas further noted that his creative, naturally introverted personality fiercely clashed with the inescapable glare of a highly publicized tour romance. Expressing a deep need to completely detach from the sport during his downtime, he admitted that dating another player made that essential mental escape practically impossible.

"I’ve never liked being in the spotlight—it made me feel very uncomfortable," he concluded, ultimately acknowledging the heavy sacrifices made when romance overrides logic. "But when you truly love someone, you might move mountains for them."

🗣️ Stefanos Tsitsipas opens up about dating a tennis pro "I have preferred a life where I'm with someone that is not in the same field as me. It keeps me calmer, it keeps my head clear. I was never a fan of being in the public eye. That made me feel very uncomfortable" https://t.co/5e6tLrR6B8

— BB Tennis (@BBTennis_tv) October 22, 2026

Diana Shnaider delivered a high-level display to beat Iva Jovic 6-3 4-6 6-1 in two hours and 11 minutes and reach the Ningbo semifinal.

While the American No. 4 seed made the first move and went 2-0 up, the sixth-seeded Russian swiftly responded by breaking the reigning Guadalajara champion in the third, seventh and ninth games to overturn the deficit and win the opener.

Dominating the opening set 🤌 Diana Shnaider makes the first move, she leads 6-3 against Jovic and is running away with it! #NingboOpen https://t.co/V7KQ88Th7K

— wta (@WTA) October 23, 2026

After a total of four breaks were seen in the first set, there was only one game with break points in the second - Jovic broke Shnaider in the seventh game and held her serve the rest of the way to force a decider.

Breathtaking 😱 Iva Jovic raises the roof and make the fans go wild as she takes this quarterfinal the distance, 6-4 in the second set! #NingboOpen https://t.co/TgaiQo6hAo

— wta (@WTA) October 23, 2026

Shnaider may have struggled to break through Jovic's serve in the second set, but she found the recipe in the decider as the Russian claimed two breaks and won five consecutive games from 1-1 to complete a three-set win.

Earlier this year, the American won the first meeting between the two after registering a 6-4 1-6 6-0 win in Dubai.

However, today in Ningbo, it was Shnaider who dominated in the third set to get her first win over Jovic and also get revenge for the Dubai loss.

Also, by beating the American, the 22-year-old Russian reached her fourth semifinal of the year - previously, she lost in the semifinals at the Adelaide International, the French Open and Washington.

For a place in the Ningbo final, Shnaider awaits the winner of the match between No. 1 seed Elena Rybakina and qualifier Katarzyna Kawa.

Rybakina and Kawa meet in the last quarterfinal match of the day in Ningbo.

If on the one hand Carlos Alcaraz has often shown some physical and mental flexion in the end of the season, on the other hand John Isner has underlined how the Spaniard returns this year to the starting line of the last rounds in an optimal state of shape.

What made the difference, paradoxically, could have been the long forced stop at the beginning of the year: a break that, in the long run, allowed him to accumulate less dross and conserve the energy necessary for the final rush. Skipping events such as Roland Garros and Wimbledon on the one hand took away his match rhythm in the central months of the year, but on the other hand guaranteed him that reserve of oxygen that many top players lack today.

While the competition arrives at the end of the calendar with the reserve lights on, Alcaraz finds himself with the motivation and brilliance of someone who still has a lot to ask of his season.

John Isner put this point forward on the latest episode of the Nothing Major podcast: "He was able to take advantage of all this rest time during the injury to his right wrist is relatively fresh. Probably cooler than he will ever be between now and the end of his career, as the autumn indoor season approaches. I think he is pumped to the max; he wants to prove that he is the best player in the world. He definitely wants to win the Turin Masters. He will be the favorite, regardless of his placement in the draw of that tournament, as Sinner will not participate in it. I think maybe he wants to prove that he is still the man to beat, ahead of the 2027 season.”

Carlitos will be the most anticipated protagonist at the Vienna ATP 500 next week, before playing the Paris Masters 1000. His two main goals between now and the end of the season will be the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna.

Despite the wrist injury that kept him out for several months, the 23-year-old from Murcia still won the only Grand Slam title he was still missing.

A French journalist has suggested that Gael Monfils' decision to retire earlier than expected may be linked to his personal life and the recent divorce from Elina Svitolina.

The 40-year-old French tennis star surprised many fans earlier this month when it emerged that he had already ended his professional career, despite previously planning to play his final tournaments in Lyon and Paris.

Monfils had announced that 2026 would be his last season, but he was expected to say goodbye to French tennis fans at the Paris Masters in November.

However, the former world No. 6 appeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency's retired players list, with October 5 registered as his retirement date.

A few days later, Svitolina confirmed that their five-year marriage was ending.

An experienced French journalist has now recalled a difficult period in Monfils' career and claimed that the veteran has always been someone whose personal happiness affected his tennis.

The journalist remembered the 2021 Australian Open, when the Frenchman suffered a first-round defeat against Emil Ruusuvuori.

Monfils was going through a difficult period, and his press conference after that match was particularly emotional.

"Of all the moments in Gael Monfils' career, it was his tears in Melbourne that affected me the most. It was February 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic. I had spent fourteen days in quarantine in a hotel room and was the only French journalist in Australia," the journalist recalled.

After losing in five sets against the Finnish player, Monfils struggled to hold back his emotions while speaking to reporters.

At one point, the French veteran asked journalists to show him some understanding.

"I feel judged. I'm already down, and you're shooting at me," Monfils said at the time.

The former world No. 6 also mentioned the advice that his mother would probably give him during such a difficult moment.

"A simple sentence: you have to keep training and it will come back," he said.

The journalist then explained why he believes that moment from five years ago may help understand the Frenchman's recent retirement.

"Generous, sensitive and fragile, he never knew how to be good on the court without being happy off it. That is, without doubt, part of the explanation for this early retirement that nobody saw coming. His last 'Monfiserie'," the journalist claimed.

Monfils had experienced several difficult periods throughout his career, including injuries and problems with his form.

The Frenchman also had a difficult start to the 2021 season. He was struggling to win matches and admitted that the situation was affecting him.

Nevertheless, he managed to recover during the following years and continued playing at the highest level well into his late thirties.

In January 2025, Monfils won the Auckland title at the age of 38, becoming the oldest ATP Tour singles champion since the tour was established in 1990.

He finished his career with 13 ATP singles titles, two Grand Slam semifinals and a career-high ranking of world No. 6.

Svitolina announced the end of their marriage on October 19, explaining that the war in Ukraine had affected her emotionally over the past several years.

The Ukrainian tennis star, who married Monfils in July 2021, stressed that her husband had supported her through many difficult moments.

"Gael saw all of it. He never let go of my hand. We fought through this together for a long time, with everything we had. But some battles happen deep inside you, and no amount of love from someone else can win them for you," Svitolina wrote.

The 32-year-old also made it clear that their daughter Skai would remain their priority.

"Skai will always come first. Our marriage is ending, but our family is not. We will always be her parents, side by side, at every step of her life," she said.

A day later, the former world No. 3 published another statement to clarify certain details about their separation.

Svitolina confirmed that the French veteran had decided to stop playing because of their personal situation.

"As some of you saw, Gael's career ended abruptly after he made the decision to stop based on our situation," she wrote.

The Ukrainian also stressed that the divorce was not caused by only one problem and asked people to respect their privacy.

Earlier this year, Svitolina had spoken positively about her husband's final season.

During the Indian Wells tournament in March, she admitted that knowing Monfils would soon retire was emotional for her.

She also expressed hope that he would enjoy his final appearance at Roland Garros, where he had been one of the French crowd's favorite players for many years.

Although his professional career has now ended, Monfils is expected to return to the court for an exhibition celebrating Stan Wawrinka's retirement.

The event is scheduled for December 19 in Geneva, with Roger Federer and Andy Murray also expected to participate.

Several days after the episode, and with the bowls now stopped, the discussions about the fuss that saw Rafa Jódar as the protagonist at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai do not subside.

The Spaniard's deplorable behavior towards the ball boy has continued to be discussed, calling into question even those who had not yet expressed themselves. The latest to analyze the incident were Andrea Petkovic and Brad Gilbert from the Tennis Channel studios. The question that the two pundits asked themselves within the podcast is "Has Jódar really become the new "villain" of the ATP tour?". For Brad Gilbert, losing control and railing against a ball boy is a particularly serious miss.

The analysis of the American leverages the intrinsic vulnerability of these figures who, in most tournaments, are very young or even minors. According to Agassi's former coach, outbursts of anger of this kind are decidedly more unacceptable and difficult to forgive than the classic and heated arguments with chair umpires: "Losing your temper with a ball boy is unforgivable," exclaimed Gilbert. Pektovic also agrees with his colleague on the seriousness of the gesture of the Iberian champion, but adds an extenuating circumstance that could exempt him from excessive guilt, age, which certainly plays in his favor and which could allow him to understand over time the mistakes not to be made: "He is 19 years old and they have catapulted him into this circus”. A warning that already sounds like a call to responsibility: talent allows a margin of error, but personal growth must travel at the same speed as tennis.

The 20-year-old Spaniard has been one of the main protagonists of this season, having had a rise that has left both fans and insiders speechless.

Recently, the young star from Madrid came close to the first Masters 1000 title of his career by reaching the final in Shanghai. Rafa dominated the first set against his compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, but his level dropped in the second half of the match and the latter prevailed.

Coco Gauff's former coach Brad Gilbert believes Alexandra Eala could be one of the players to watch in the race for the 2027 WTA Finals, while also acknowledging the pressure that the Filipina will face next season.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed the best year of her professional career, winning her maiden WTA title, reaching the second week of Wimbledon and achieving a career-high ranking of world No. 18.

Although Eala will not be among the eight players competing at this year's WTA Finals, Gilbert has included her among the young talents who could make another step forward in 2027.

The American coach, who previously worked with Coco Gauff and helped her win the 2023 US Open, recently spoke about the future of women's tennis on The Big T Podcast.

During the conversation with former WTA player Andrea Petkovic, Gilbert mentioned several youngsters who could challenge the established names next year.

"Ok, I'll give you a few names. Iva Jovic is already the highest-ranked of the young players, so where does she go? She's 11th in the world now, 18, almost 19. Somebody I probably thought was going to make the year-end championship this year if she wasn't injured was [Victoria] Mboko," Gilbert said.

"Another player I feel like is going to take a big leap in '27 is [Nikola] Bartunkova. Czechia always seems to have players. And maybe the player I'm most interested to see where she's going to go in '27 – she probably has the most pressure on her of any player – is [Alex] Eala."

Petkovic, who reached a career-high ranking of world No. 9 during her playing days, agreed that the Filipina would be interesting to follow next season.

"Yeah, it's going to be so interesting to see how she backs up this amazing season she's had this year," Petkovic said.

Gilbert then praised the way the 21-year-old deals with the attention she receives from tennis fans.

"She handles herself beautifully; from a country that's never had any players, it's great to see. She's got fans that travel!" he said.

"She does. We will never be amiss for a full stadium when Alex Eala plays in 2027," Petkovic added.

Eala has attracted a lot of attention since her breakthrough at the 2025 Miami Open, where she defeated several established players and reached the semifinals.

The Filipina recorded victories over Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek, with her 6-2, 7-5 win against the Polish star being one of the biggest moments of her career.

After that match, the youngster admitted that she was finding it difficult to believe what she had achieved.

"I'm in complete disbelief right now, I'm on cloud nine," Eala said during her on-court interview.

"It's so surreal. I feel like I'm the exact same person as I was in that photo. But of course, circumstances have changed! I'm so happy and so blessed to be able to compete with such a player on this stage ... My coach told me to run, to go for every ball, to take all the opportunities I can, because a five-time Slam champion is not going to give you the win."

The former junior US Open champion continued making progress this season, particularly during the grass-court tournaments and the North American summer.

In Berlin, the left-hander defeated Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina before losing to Linda Noskova in the semifinals.

A few weeks later, Eala reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, defeating Swiatek 7-6, 6-2 in the third round. Her run ended against Jasmine Paolini, who won their three-set encounter.

However, the biggest success of her season arrived in Washington, where the Filipino tennis star captured her first WTA 500 title.

Eala defeated Qinwen Zheng, Leylah Fernandez, Svitolina and Naomi Osaka before meeting Jessica Pegula in the final.

Despite losing the opening set, she recovered to beat the American 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 and collect the biggest trophy of her professional career.

The victory also helped her continue climbing the WTA rankings, eventually reaching No. 18 during the summer.

Her results have been less consistent in recent weeks, though.

At the US Open, Eala reached the third round before suffering a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 defeat against American teenager Iva Jovic.

She then lost to Tatiana Prozorova in Singapore and Han Shi in Wuhan, despite being the higher-ranked player in both matches.

The 21-year-old returned to winning ways at the Ningbo Open, defeating Diane Parry 6-3, 6-1. However, Diana Shnaider stopped her in the second round, winning 7-5, 6-4.

The Filipina currently occupies 20th place in the world rankings and sits outside the top eight in the WTA Race.

Qualifying for the WTA Finals next year would require more consistent results at WTA 1000 events and Grand Slam tournaments, where many ranking points are available.

Eala is expected to continue her 2026 season at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, which begins on October 26, before competing at the Hong Kong Open. Those will be further opportunities for the Filipina to finish the year with positive results before preparing for 2027.

Rory McIlroy has earned almost $16 million more than Bryson DeChambeau in the reported comparison of their golf earnings since the American decided to join LIV Golf in June 2022.

The two golf stars have been involved in several disagreements over the past four years, particularly because of their different opinions about LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

While the Northern Irishman remained on the PGA Tour, DeChambeau accepted an offer from the Saudi-backed league in 2022.

His decision brought him a reported signing bonus of more than $100 million, although the exact financial details of his contract have never been publicly confirmed.

McIlroy, on the other hand, continued competing on the PGA Tour, where he has collected many titles and earned millions of dollars in prize money.

A comparison of their reported earnings since June 2022 now gives the 37-year-old Northern Irish golfer the advantage, although the figures do not include sponsorship deals or DeChambeau's LIV signing bonus.

The American has collected $64,845,155 in reported LIV Golf earnings during that period, while McIlroy's total in the comparison reaches $80,688,298.

That leaves a difference of $15,843,143 between the two golfers.

DeChambeau was one of the first well-known PGA Tour players to accept an offer from LIV Golf when the competition started in 2022.

The former US Open champion had already built a successful career on the PGA Tour, winning several tournaments before deciding to change leagues.

His move attracted a lot of attention because he was one of the most recognizable American golfers at the time.

The 33-year-old has since earned $64,845,155 in reported LIV Golf prize money and other competition-related payments.

However, the American is not the highest-paid player in the competition when only those earnings are considered.

Jon Rahm, who joined LIV Golf at the beginning of 2024, is ahead of him on the reported all-time money list.

The Spanish golfer has collected more than $105 million since making his debut, despite spending less time in the competition than DeChambeau.

Rahm won the season-long individual championship in 2024, 2025 and 2026, collecting big bonuses for finishing at the top of the standings.

Meanwhile, DeChambeau has never managed to finish a LIV Golf season as the individual champion.

The American has nevertheless enjoyed several successful moments since leaving the PGA Tour.

One of his biggest achievements arrived at the 2024 US Open, where he defeated McIlroy by one stroke at Pinehurst No. 2.

DeChambeau finished the tournament at six under par, while the Northern Irish golfer ended at five under after making bogeys on three of his final four holes.

That victory gave the American his second US Open title, following his previous success at Winged Foot in 2020.

His US Open prize money was separate from his LIV Golf earnings and is therefore not included in the $64.8 million figure.

DeChambeau has also developed a large following on social media, particularly through his YouTube channel, where he regularly publishes golf challenges and videos featuring other players.

His sponsorships, online activities and other commercial agreements represent additional sources of income that are not included in this comparison.

McIlroy has also collected a lot of money since June 2022, with his FedEx Cup success that year playing a big part in his reported total.

After DeChambeau announced his move to LIV Golf, McIlroy played seven more PGA Tour events during the remainder of 2022.

He earned a reported $21,699,000 during that period, including the $18 million bonus he received for winning the FedEx Cup.

The Northern Irishman finished ahead of Scottie Scheffler at the Tour Championship to claim the season-long title for the third time in his career.

It was another successful period for McIlroy, who had already won the FedEx Cup in 2016 and 2019.

In 2023, the former world No. 1 collected $17,921,008 in the reported earnings comparison.

He then received $12,502,123 in 2024 before another successful season followed in 2025.

McIlroy earned $16,992,418 that year, which also brought him another Masters title.

The Northern Irishman defeated Justin Rose in a playoff at Augusta National to finally complete the career Grand Slam.

He had previously won the US Open in 2011, the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014, and The Open Championship in 2014.

In 2026, McIlroy has earned $11,573,749 in official PGA Tour prize money, according to the tour's statistics.

Adding the reported yearly figures gives him $80,688,298 since DeChambeau's departure, compared to the American's $64,845,155 in LIV earnings.

However, the figures are not a complete comparison of their income. McIlroy's reported total includes a FedEx Cup bonus, while DeChambeau's does not include his signing agreement or money earned at Grand Slam tournaments.

Different competitions also have different bonus systems, making it difficult to determine which golfer has actually earned more from golf during those four years.

Both players have continued competing in golf's biggest tournaments, despite representing different leagues.

McIlroy will now focus on the remainder of his 2026 schedule and preparations for the 2027 season, while DeChambeau is expected to continue representing LIV Golf and competing at the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Alexandra Eala's plans for the beginning of the 2027 tennis season have become clearer, with the Filipina set to return to the ASB Classic in Auckland before traveling to Melbourne for the Australian Open.

The 21-year-old tennis star is among the players announced for the New Zealand tournament, which will take place from January 4-10. It will be another opportunity for Eala to play competitive matches before the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.

The world No. 20 enjoyed a great experience in Auckland at the beginning of 2026, reaching the semifinals in both singles and doubles. Her singles campaign ended against China's Wang Xinyu, who defeated her 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 after a close battle.

Eala was also quite popular among local tennis fans. Many members of the Filipino community attended her matches, with the atmosphere attracting the attention of tournament director Nicolas Lamperin.

Earlier this year, Lamperin stressed that bringing the young Filipina back was one of his priorities.

"With Alexandra, we now have a bit of a history," Lamperin said in July.

"She's someone we value and appreciate, so we'll do what it takes to try to bring her back."

The Philippine tennis player will have some familiar competition in Auckland. Elina Svitolina, who won the 2026 tournament by defeating Wang in the final, has also confirmed her return to defend the title.

Eala's appearance in New Zealand will come shortly before the Australian Open, where she hopes to achieve a better result than during her first participation in the main draw.

The former world No. 18 made her Australian Open main-draw debut in January 2026 but did not manage to get past the opening round.

Facing American Alycia Parks, the Filipina won the opening set 6-0 before losing the next two sets 6-3, 6-2.

It was a disappointing result for Eala, who had arrived in Melbourne following her semifinal appearance in Auckland.

However, the young player has since gained a lot of experience against some of the best players on the women's tour.

The 2026 season brought several important results for Eala, including her first WTA 500 title in Washington.

During that tournament, she defeated Zheng Qinwen, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka before facing Jessica Pegula in the final.

The American won the opening set, but Eala recovered to claim a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory and celebrate the biggest title of her professional career.

The Filipina also enjoyed success on grass courts, winning the WTA 125 tournament in Birmingham and reaching the semifinals in Berlin.

At Wimbledon, the left-handed player defeated defending champion Iga Swiatek in the third round before losing to Jasmine Paolini in the last 16.

Her results helped her reach a career-high ranking of world No. 18 in August.

Eala later competed at the US Open, where she defeated Mary Stoiana and Oleksandra Oliynykova before suffering a three-set defeat against American Iva Jovic in the third round.

She also represented the Philippines at the Asian Games in Japan, winning a bronze medal after losing to Wang Xiyu in the semifinals.

The decision to participate in the Asian Games meant missing the mandatory China Open, but the 21-year-old decided that representing her country was an important priority.

Another big part of Eala's season has been the attention she receives from Filipino supporters at tournaments around the world.

During the Asian swing, she continued receiving considerable support despite some disappointing results.

After losing her opening match in Wuhan to Chinese qualifier Shi Han, Eala returned to winning ways at the Ningbo Open.

The Filipina defeated Diane Parry 6-3, 6-1 in the first round, ending a three-match losing streak.

"I'm very happy with my performance," Eala said following that victory.

"I think it was a really good first round, tough first round.

"Diane is a great player and I think she's had a really good year. Congrats to her for the year she's done and really happy to be in the second round. I'm very happy to have won the first round."

The 21-year-old also took some time to thank the people who attended her match.

"Thank you everyone. Thank you so much for the support. It really makes my job very fun, even in the difficult moments. I'm really happy to be here."

Eala eventually lost to Diana Shnaider in the second round of the Chinese tournament.

Her coach Joan Bosch has also spoken about the attention surrounding the player, particularly the expectations from supporters in the Philippines.

"Many, many Filipinos, they come to watch her win," Bosch said earlier this year.

The Spanish coach also pointed out that he tries to help his player deal with the expectations.

"You try to explain to her-there is no pressure."

With her place among the world's top 20, Eala will enter the Australian summer in a different position compared to January 2026, when she was ranked outside the top 40.

The Australian Open main draw is scheduled to begin on January 18, with Eala expected to travel to Melbourne after her preparations in Auckland.

Diana Shnaider says it may have been hard for people watching from the outside to understand why there were so many breaks against Alexandra Eala, but explained that both players were returning extremely well.

On Thursday - in a match that featured a total of 10 breaks - the sixth-seeded Russian came out on top to beat 20th-ranked Eala 7-5 6-4 and reach the Ningbo quarterfinal.

Through the opening eight games of the match, there wasn't a single break point. But then, things completely changed as Shnaider broke in the ninth game - failed to serve out the set in the 10th - then broke again in the 11th before finally closing out the opener.

The second set was even more turbulent as every single game featured at least one break point. In the end, there were seven total breaks of serve, with Shnaider eventually getting the decisive one for a 5-4 lead before serving out the match.

The twists and turns come to an end as Diana Shnaider bests Alexandra Eala 7-5, 6-4. 👏 Onto the quarterfinals ⏭️ #NingboOpen https://t.co/JlIgUzU7Oj

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 22, 2026

When addressing the inconsistency on serve, the 22-year-old Russian suggested that neither she nor Eala did anything wrong, but that both simply had a strong day on return.

“I feel like sometimes it's a little bit hard also for outside people to understand, you know, why both of us constantly keep losing our serve. But again, I had a great return and then Alex also is super aggressive on her returns," Shnaider said.

“So that's why it's sometimes it's very hard to hold your own serve just because you constantly feel the pressure. You can't really put the second serve because then you just get a winner or you then you get pushed back. So I feel like, you know, I just try to just keep reminding myself that she's playing great and sometimes there's nothing what you can do much and also nothing that you did wrong."

Next up for Shnaider will be a quarterfinal meeting with No. 4 seed Iva Jovic.

The two have met once before as Jovic won their Dubai clash earlier this year 6-4 1-6 6-0.

If Shnaider gets her revenge in Ningbo, she will reach her fourth semifinal of the year.

Former American tennis stars John Isner and Sam Querrey have reacted to Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz making late changes to their schedules and deciding to play additional tournaments before the end of the 2026 season.

The two former world No. 1 players have accepted wild cards for next week's ATP 500 tournaments. Djokovic will compete in Basel, while Alcaraz is set to play in Vienna.

The 39-year-old Serb was not initially expected to return to Switzerland, while the Spanish star had also planned a different schedule for the final weeks of the season.

However, both players will now have another opportunity to compete before the Paris Masters, which begins on November 2.

Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Isner and Querrey welcomed the decisions and explained what they expect from the two Grand Slam champions.

Isner believes that the 23-year-old Spaniard is quite motivated to finish the season with more titles after missing several months because of a wrist injury.

The former American No. 1 pointed out that Alcaraz has had a lot of time to recover and should now be physically prepared for the remaining indoor tournaments.

"He's relatively fresh. The freshest he will probably ever be for the rest of his career," Isner said.

The American also claimed that the seven-time Grand Slam champion wants to remind his rivals that he remains one of the players to beat on the ATP Tour.

"I think he's fired up; he wants to prove that he is the best player in the world," the former Wimbledon semifinalist added.

Querrey was also delighted to hear that the Spanish tennis star had decided to play in Austria.

"What a treat for Vienna! It's like winning the lottery," the former American tennis player said.

Alcaraz's decision followed the postponement of the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia, which was originally scheduled for October.

The tournament was moved to December, leaving the former world No. 1 with an opportunity to add another ATP event to his calendar.

Vienna tournament director Herwig Straka contacted the Spaniard's representatives shortly after learning about the postponement.

According to Straka, the negotiations were completed quickly, and the seven-time Grand Slam champion agreed to participate without much hesitation.

Alcaraz will return to Vienna for the first time since 2021. During his previous appearance, the then-18-year-old defeated Andy Murray before losing to Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.

The Spaniard has experienced an interesting season. He won the Australian Open earlier this year, completing the career Grand Slam, before a wrist injury forced him to miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

After returning to competition, Carlos reached the later stages of the US Open and won the Japan Open in Tokyo, defeating Jiri Lehecka in the final.

However, his campaign at the Shanghai Masters ended in the second round following a surprising defeat to Zizou Bergs.

The world No. 3 will now compete against several highly ranked players in Vienna, including Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Flavio Cobolli.

The former American players also commented on Djokovic's unexpected decision to return to the Swiss Indoors after 15 years.

The Serbian veteran recently won the China Open in Beijing, defeating Alex de Minaur in the final after the Australian retired during the second set.

However, his next tournament in Shanghai ended much earlier than expected, with Hubert Hurkacz eliminating him in the second round.

Isner believes that the 24-time Grand Slam champion has a good opportunity to compete for another title in Basel.

"He's rested; he recently won a 500, then lost early in Shanghai," the American explained.

The former world No. 8 also stressed that Djokovic has surprised him by continuing to compete instead of ending his season after the US Open.

The 39-year-old experienced a difficult Grand Slam tournament in New York, suffering a first-round defeat.

Nevertheless, the former world No. 1 returned to competition in Asia and won his 102nd career ATP title in Beijing.

Querrey believes that Djokovic's current situation is quite different from what he experienced during his most successful years.

"This is the first time ever Novak has had to chase points," the former Wimbledon semifinalist claimed.

Their fellow podcast host Steve Johnson also suggested that qualifying for the ATP Finals could be one of the main reasons behind the Serb's late schedule change.

Djokovic currently sits outside the qualification places in the Race to Turin. The seven-time ATP Finals champion is 11th and needs more ranking points to secure his participation in the season-ending competition.

The experienced Serbian previously won the Swiss Indoors in 2009, defeating Roger Federer in the final. He also reached the final in 2010, when the Swiss legend took revenge.

His last appearance in Basel came in 2011.

This year's tournament will feature Ben Shelton, Arthur Fils, Taylor Fritz and several other well-known players. Stan Wawrinka will also compete in what is expected to be the final tournament of his career.

Djokovic and Alcaraz are scheduled to begin their ATP 500 campaigns during the week of October 26. Both tournaments will conclude on November 1, just before the Paris Masters.

Bianca Andreescu says she is "beyond humbled" after triumphing at the WTA 125 (Challenger) tournament in Rovereto and clinching her biggest title in seven years.

Last week, Andreescu went all the way in her Rovereto debut after winning a total of five matches. The 26-year-old defeated Mia Ristic, Antonia Ruzic, Lucrezia Stefanini, Lucie Havlickova and Dominika Salkova en route to lifting the trophy.

For Andreescu, it was her biggest title since winning the 2019 US Open.

Also, by triumphing in Rovereto, the Canadian improved 36 spots in the rankings and now sits at No. 132 in the world - which is her highest ranking since April.

After posting her biggest victory in seven years, the 2019 US Open champion couldn't hide how delighted she was with her Rovereto success.

"I knew I had more moments like this in me... I’m beyond humbled by this title and proud of the work and patience it took to get here," Andreescu wrote on Instagram.

"To my team, family, friends and everyone who’s been in my corner, a MEGA thank you. Your support and belief have carried me through A LOT, long before there was another trophy to hold. Taking a moment to really appreciate this one.

"Rovereto, you made this week even more special. Such a fascinating place, with people who made us feel welcome from start to finish. Here’s to the tournament team for putting together such a well-organized event and looking after us with so much care. I will never forget this week."

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A post shared by 🐝 Bianca Vanessa 🦋 (@biancaandreescu_)

If you can recall, Andreescu opted to skip Australian Open qualifying and instead returned at the ITF level, where she immediately made two finals and won both titles.

Those triumphs in Bradenton and Vero Beach were the first titles of any kind for the 26-year-old since her 2019 US Open victory.

Meanwhile, Andreescu is not competing anywhere this week.

Stefanos Tsitsipas says he has his "own story" and suggests that he is not ruling out the possibility of winning a Grand Slam, but that he will also be at peace if it doesn't happen.

After becoming a Masters and ATP Finals champion early in his career, the Greek was tipped to also land a Major.

In 2021 - when Tsitsipas was still 22 years old - he reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open and looked to be cruising toward the title after going up by two sets against Novak Djokovic. Sadly for the Greek, he failed to get over the finish line as Djokovic stormed back to win in five sets.

Then, in January 2023, Tsitsipas reached his second Major final at the Australian Open. Again, his rival was Djokovic, but this time he was beaten in straight sets.

What has happened since then is well-documented as Tsitsipas' career and results have gone downhill - he has reached just two Grand Slam quarterfinals since the 2023 Australian Open.

Currently, the Greek - who turned 28 in August - holds a 36-22 record in 2026 and sits at No. 39 in the world, which is a far cry from where he once was.

When asked if he could still win a Grand Slam, the 28-year-old offered a lengthy but also philosophical answer.

“I always look at it and view it, I have my own chapter, I have my own story. Their story is not my story, and my story is not their story," Tsitsipas said.

"They have written their own story through the Tour and through the success that they have had. And maybe one way you could look at it. Yes, I’m stuck a little bit behind, but this is my story, and the story is not just results on their own and performance.

“It’s what you go through as well as a tennis player, because one day I can always use that to help the next generation of tennis players. I look throughout my journey as pretty much like a learning curve, where it kind of goes up and down, and there are so many different variations of it.

“And I’ve had my fair share of success. I’ve had my fair share of victories and big wins. And every single day I have the chance to write to my story. I could maybe one day be a Grand Slam winner later in life, or not, but I’ve given it a try. I’ve tried all kinds of things to get there.”

Tsitsipas picked up three consecutive Grand Slam second-round exits this year at the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon.

However, the former world No. 3 did better at the US Open, reaching the round-of-16 before losing to Ben Shelton.

Meanwhile, Tsitsipas is competing in Almaty this week, where he won his opening two matches and plays James Duckworth in the quarterfinal.

With less than 350 days to go until the next Ryder Cup in Ireland, something truly compelling is unfolding on the PGA Tour: a profound generational shift that could well shape the 2027 U.S. team.

In short—looking at the numbers—five of the last six tournaments on the American circuit (excluding the three FedEx Cup playoff events and the Presidents Cup) have been won by exceptionally young players with undeniable, world-class talent.

Take, for instance, 24-year-old Michael Brennan—already ranked 20th in the world. This year, he claimed titles at the Wyndham Championship and the Baycurrent Classic, posting some staggering statistics: in the latter event, he averaged over 315 yards off the tee, hit more than 90% of his fairways, and reached 75% of greens in regulation. Since 1994, only Nick Price and David Duval have managed to put up such numbers during their own tournament victories—no small feat, to say the least.

Then there’s the hero of the Presidents Cup, 21-year-old Jackson Koivun. Having turned pro in June, he has already climbed to 57th in the world rankings, secured a PGA Tour win (the 3M Open), and notched four top-25 finishes. It’s no surprise that he’s dominating the headlines and online buzz; if he keeps this up, a spot on the Ryder Cup team could well be within his reach.

And let’s not forget 25-year-old Michael Thorbjornsen, currently ranked 39th globally. By winning the Rocket Classic, he finally captured a victory that had long seemed to slip through his fingers. There was never any doubt about the American’s talent, of course; but the fact that he managed to close out a tournament—after having squandered a couple of others—perfectly illustrates his steady, relentless progress. It may have been a bit slow, given how quickly today’s young players tend to rise, but it has been consistently effective.

And then there’s Jacob Bridgeman, the recent winner of the Biltmore Classic and currently ranked 4th in the FedEx standings. At twenty-six, he has two victories in 2026, but more importantly, he leads the PGA Tour in "Strokes Gained: Putting." He may not be a long hitter off the tee, but he can sink putts from anywhere—a crucial skill in match play. It’s no coincidence that he was already part of the Presidents Cup team last September; let’s just call that a warm-up for Ireland 2027.

Add to this list the essential name of Chris Gotterup—arguably one of the most talented young champions on the American circuit—and, in theory, we already have 5/12 of the U.S. team locked in (admittedly, perhaps a bit heavy on rookies). Make that 6/12, with Scottie Scheffler already effectively booked for the course at Adare Manor.

So, given the current landscape, which of the American "old lions" might be at risk of staying home next year? Koepka, Harman, Homa, Finau, Bradley, Spieth, Fowler—all of them are champions who have appeared to be struggling quite a bit lately. And then there’s Justin Thomas—he may be a great team player who worked wonders alongside Koivun at the Presidents Cup, but the Alabamian has managed only one PGA Tour victory since 2022. That’s not exactly a lot… And don’t even get me started on Patrick Cantlay, who hasn’t won a single event on the circuit since way back in 2022.

Finally… what could be the massive surprise for 2027? Well, the return of Patrick Reed to the team—the quintessential Ryder Cup player on American soil. And Jim Furyk knows that all too well.

The ATP has revealed some worrying numbers regarding online abuse in men's tennis, confirming that more than 85% of male players who attract engagement on social media have been targeted by abusive messages over the past year.

The governing body published the findings on Thursday, October 22, after reviewing millions of comments through its Safe Sport initiative.

According to the ATP, more than 3.7 million comments were analyzed across the social media accounts of players and the organization itself.

Of those comments, approximately 284,000 were identified as abusive, while around 234,000 were blocked before they could reach tennis players or fans.

The ATP also confirmed that more than 82% of the identified abusive comments were removed in real time.

Andrew Azzopardi, the ATP's director of safeguarding, addressed the findings and stressed that the organization would continue working on protecting players.

"Player welfare sits at the heart of the ATP's safeguarding work," Azzopardi said.

The official also confirmed that the ATP would continue investing in technology and working with authorities to identify people responsible for threatening players.

The Safe Sport initiative was introduced in July 2024, following growing concerns about the messages that professional tennis players were receiving online.

The program uses artificial intelligence to identify offensive comments, while specialists also assess possible threats against players.

It is available to the top 250 singles players and top 50 doubles players on the ATP Tour.

During its first year, the system examined more than 3.1 million comments and identified over 162,000 cases of severe online abuse.

The ATP also found that some players were receiving abusive messages in unusually large numbers.

Azzopardi previously revealed that more than one in ten comments on players' posts were abusive, with the percentage reaching 50% in certain cases.

Online abuse has been one of the problems in professional tennis for quite some time, and several players have publicly spoken about their experiences.

French tennis veteran Gael Monfils addressed the issue in June 2025 after losing his opening match at the Stuttgart Open.

The former world No. 6 received messages from people who had lost money betting on his match.

Monfils responded on social media and questioned why people were still betting on him to beat much younger opponents.

The Frenchman, who was 38 at the time, used humor while addressing those who had sent him offensive messages.

However, other players have reported far more serious threats.

Canadian tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime previously revealed that he had received a death threat after suffering a first-round defeat at the 2024 US Open.

The former world No. 6 explained that the situation had become serious enough that he had to remain at his hotel while the authorities investigated.

"It was quite serious," Auger-Aliassime said while recalling the incident.

The Canadian added that the person responsible was eventually found to be outside New York.

Female tennis players have also experienced similar problems.

British player Katie Boulter revealed in June 2025 that she had received death threats directed at herself and members of her family.

Boulter claimed that a lot of the messages appeared to come from people who had lost money betting on tennis.

The former British No. 1 said she wanted more people to understand what players were experiencing after matches.

"I don't think people were aware how much it happens to players," Boulter said at the time.

The British tennis player also stressed that she wanted to help younger players avoid similar experiences in the future.

The ATP is not the only tennis organization trying to reduce the number of offensive messages directed at professional players.

In July 2026, the WTA and World Tennis published another report concerning online abuse during the 2025 season.

More than 1.2 million social media posts and comments were examined, with over 12,000 classified as abusive.

Of those, 3,726 were considered serious cases involving threats, racism, ***ual abuse or other offensive content.

The report also revealed that 42% of verified abuse was linked to angry gamblers.

That figure increased to 59% when only the most serious cases were considered.

Another interesting finding was that a small number of social media accounts were responsible for a large percentage of the abuse.

The organizations confirmed that 35 accounts linked to 12 individuals had been referred to law enforcement.

They also reported that 66% of serious abusive content had been removed.

American tennis star Jessica Pegula has previously criticized people who send offensive messages after losing bets.

The former world No. 3 shared screenshots of messages she received following her defeat to Lois Boisson at the 2025 French Open.

Pegula questioned whether athletes in other sports were experiencing online abuse on the same scale.

More recently, Coco Gauff revealed that she had received racist messages during the China Open earlier this month.

The American's experience also received attention from the United Nations Human Rights Office.

For the ATP, the latest report is another part of its work to protect professional tennis players.

The organization intends to continue using its Safe Sport program and cooperating with social media platforms and authorities during the 2027 tennis season.

Maja Chwalinska had a blunt message for critics saying that she could only play well on clay as the Pole says certain individuals "criticize others because no one listens to them."

After completing a historic run at the French Open and reaching the final as a qualifier, the 24-year-old suffered an unfortunate ankle injury during her Wimbledon opener and went just 1-5 across her next five tournaments.

However, since the start of the Asian swing, Chwalinska has completely turned the page after reaching the Singapore semifinal and then becoming a WTA 1000 champion in Wuhan.

Also, the rising Polish tennis star is now on the verge of breaking into the top-10 as she rose to a career-high ranking of No. 11 following her Wuhan triumph.

Now that the new world No. 11 has completed another great run at a big event, she decided to send a little message to those who doubted her.

"I've heard them say that I can only play on clay," the reigning Wuhan champion told Polish tennis journalist Dominik Senkowski.

"But I think that sometimes people just criticize others because no one listens to them. The only thing they're capable of is criticizing. It's tough, because you're on the court and you're very vulnerable. You can't answer anything. I'm really happy that I proved to myself that I can play on any surface."

"Nie możesz nic odpowiedzieć. Jestem naprawdę szczęśliwa, że udowodniłam sobie, że mogę grać na każdej nawierzchni." 2/2

— Dominik Senkowski (@dsenkowski07) October 22, 2026

After beating Sonay Kartal in the Wuhan final, Chwalinska said that some people were "very rough" on her over the last couple of months.

However, she also noted that her Wuhan triumph and maiden WTA title were "sweet."

Meanwhile, Chwalinska withdrew from this week's Ningbo tournament, but has confirmed that she plans to compete in Tokyo next week.

Leylah Fernandez has spoken about Emma Raducanu and their famous 2021 US Open final, admitting that revisiting the match with the British tennis star would be a strange experience.

Five years have passed since the two teenagers met in New York, where Raducanu defeated Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 to claim her first Grand Slam title.

The Canadian, who was only 19 at the time, had enjoyed a great tournament and defeated several of the biggest names in women's tennis before reaching the final.

However, Fernandez could not stop the 18-year-old British qualifier from making history at Flushing Meadows.

Speaking about the possibility of one day talking to Raducanu about their match, the former world No. 13 described the situation as "really strange."

Both players have experienced a lot since that September evening in New York, dealing with injuries, expectations and different results on the WTA Tour.

Fernandez, now 24, has continued competing regularly and won several WTA titles, while Raducanu has also faced injuries and changes to her coaching team.

The Canadian has previously said that she would welcome the opportunity to compete against the former US Open champion in another big final.

Although Fernandez was disappointed after losing in 2021, she has also spoken about learning to appreciate what she achieved during those two weeks.

During this year's US Open, Fernandez admitted that returning to New York had not always been easy because of the memories from 2021.

The Canadian explained that she initially felt additional pressure whenever she competed at the tournament, but her feelings had gradually changed.

"Over the years, it's been a different kind of relationship," Fernandez said during the 2026 US Open.

"I feel like I always put a little bit more pressure on myself coming here, but as the years have gone on, I've learned to accept and be grateful for it, and not hold anything against what happened five years ago, how it happened, how it ended, more the joy that I had going through that journey."

The former Grand Slam finalist also stressed that she was finally enjoying her time in New York without thinking too much about the past.

"This time around is definitely one of the first few times where I feel like I'm truly enjoying the moment and the time here."

Fernandez had defeated Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the 2021 final.

At the time, the Canadian was one of the most interesting young players on the WTA Tour, while Raducanu was competing in only her second Grand Slam tournament.

Their meeting was the first Grand Slam final between two unseeded players in the Open Era.

Following her defeat, Fernandez admitted that she was disappointed but also proud of what she had achieved.

"It definitely stings," the Canadian said during her post-match press conference.

The 2021 runner-up also praised Raducanu for the way she played during their meeting.

"Emma is a very good player. She's been playing incredibly these last few months with a lot of confidence. I unfortunately today did one too many mistakes. I think Emma noticed it and she just took advantage of it."

Fernandez also hoped that the two players would meet again in other important matches during their careers.

"Hopefully we'll have many more tournaments together and many more finals."

In October 2023, Fernandez spoke about Raducanu's difficulties after the British tennis star had been sidelined by injuries.

The former US Open finalist said that she wanted her old rival to return to competition and play good tennis again.

"I know Emma is working hard, I know she is hungry, she has something to prove, so I'm sure she's going to come back and play some great tennis," Fernandez said.

"Hopefully, we do see her because she is great for the sport. She has got something special for the WTA and for women's tennis.

"Hopefully, we can both compete at the highest level once again side by side."

The Canadian also admitted that adjusting to life after the 2021 US Open had been difficult.

Both players suddenly received a lot more attention, and Fernandez acknowledged that she had needed time to understand how to handle her new situation.

"I think it was hard on both of us adjusting to the new life," she said.

"It is extremely hard. In the past, you think that you are grounded and you are the same person, but the reality is we grow and we mature, and sometimes what happens to us is we don't want to see the truth."

Fernandez also credited her parents and coaching team for helping her during difficult periods.

The Canadian has since added more WTA titles to her record and reached a career-high ranking of world No. 13 in August 2022.

Raducanu, meanwhile, remains one of the best-known British tennis players after becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era.

The two players have yet to repeat their 2021 success at a Grand Slam tournament, but both continue trying to reach the later stages of the biggest events.

Fernandez, currently ranked around the world's top 25, will be hoping to enjoy more success in 2027 and eventually get another opportunity to compete for a Grand Slam title.

The Genesis Championship is the final tournament of the DP World Tour’s regular season. At its conclusion, the top 100 players in the Race to Dubai (the tour’s order of merit) will secure their playing privileges—or "card"—for the 2027 season. However, only the top 70 will qualify for the first of two high-stakes playoff events, the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship (November 5–8), which will help conclude the season. Subsequently, the top 50 will earn a spot in the second playoff event, the DP World Tour Championship (November 12–15).

The tournament takes place from October 22 to 25 at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, South Korea. Among the 126 competitors from 25 different nations, six Italians will be in the field: Gregorio De Leo, Francesco Laporta, Stefano Mazzoli, Filippo Celli, Matteo Manassero, and Renato Paratore.

The event was established in 2024 through the merger of the Korea Championship—previously part of the DP World Tour schedule—and the Genesis Championship, which was part of the Korean Tour; it is now managed as a joint venture. The field includes five players currently ranked in the top ten, as well as eleven winners from this season. Among them is Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra, who arrives fresh off a victory at the recent DP World India Championship—his third win of the year, which propelled him to the top of the order of merit. He will be looking to take center stage once again. Furthermore, he has the opportunity to extend his lead over his closest rivals in the race for the European crown—American Patrick Reed (ranked 2nd) and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (ranked 3rd)—both of whom are absent from this event.

With 835 points on offer for the winner, South Africa’s Casey Jarvis (ranked 4th) and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox (ranked 6th) could also significantly bolster their positions should they deliver a standout performance. Further back are fellow New Zealander Daniel Hillier (No. 8) and Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen (No. 9), both of whom are primarily targeting one of the ten PGA Tour cards available to the highest-ranked players not otherwise exempt. Other potential contenders include Spain’s Nacho Elvira, American Jordan Gumberg, Sweden’s Mikael Lindberg, Japan’s Kota Kaneko, South Africans Yurav Premlall and Richard Sterne, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson, and Mazzoli—all of whom, along with Chacarra, Jarvis, and Fox, have claimed a victory this season.

Defending his only title is 35-year-old Jung-hwan Lee from Gwangju, South Korea. That win earned him a spot on the DP World Tour this season, where he made the cut in only nine of his 22 events, finishing mostly in the middle or lower reaches of the leaderboard. His modest professional record includes three victories on the Korean Tour. He will be joined on the tee by 38 of his compatriots—including Si Woo Kim, Sungjae Kim, and Sanghun Shin (the current number one on the Korean circuit)—all of whom are also among the favorites.

Daniil Medvedev has admitted that seeing him calm during a difficult tennis match is not necessarily a good thing, with the Russian explaining that his emotions are quite important to his game.

The former world No. 1 has been known for his emotional reactions on court for years, often arguing with umpires, complaining about conditions and expressing frustration during matches.

However, the 30-year-old believes that completely removing those emotions could negatively affect his performances.

Speaking during the Almaty Open, where he was the top seed, Medvedev was asked whether being a calmer player would make him a better competitor.

"It would take away from me. Whenever you see me calm on the court and I'm losing, it could be because I don't care at this moment for many different reasons. I could have just had a bad day, it happens because we play 100 matches a year," the Russian said.

"Most of the time, I want to win, that's why I react the way I react. I have to be calmer sometimes, also to be able to overcome obstacles during the match, but that's something during my career I was able to do. Most of the time though, I should be who I am."

The 2021 US Open champion has experienced a better season in 2026 after going through a difficult period last year.

The veteran fell to world No. 18 in September 2025, his lowest ranking in seven years, but has since managed to return to the top five.

Medvedev has also been trying to secure a place at the ATP Finals in Turin, where the eight best-performing players of the season will compete in November.

When asked about his improvement this year, the Russian explained that he could not identify just one reason behind his results.

"In tennis there can be a lot of reasons, so I will not be able to tell you any one reason. I'm happy that I managed to make a better year this year than last year. I enjoyed a lot of parts of this year, and, if I can be in Turin, that's going to be a great bonus to having a good year," he said.

Although the Russian sometimes gets criticized for his behavior, he has never denied that his reactions can cause problems during matches.

Earlier this season, after winning the Brisbane International in January, Medvedev admitted that he was trying to control himself better.

"The most important is I always stay true to myself, so meaning when I get angry and even I do bad things, well, sometimes I have to apologize, but it's the way I am. It's my emotions," the former world No. 1 explained.

"But I also know that these emotions, they can be fun, can be a bit too much, but many times they can cost me a bit of energy and a bit of concentration during the match. So of course I always said it's better to stay calm. It's easier, but then that's something I couldn't do."

The Russian also pointed out that tennis fans have different opinions about his personality.

Some enjoy watching him express his emotions, while others prefer to see a calmer version of the former US Open champion.

His behavior became a big topic again earlier this month during the China Open in Beijing.

Medvedev was disqualified from his semifinal against Novak Djokovic after hitting a ball that struck a spectator in the face.

The Serbian veteran was leading 7-5, 5-3 when the incident happened.

Following the match, the 30-year-old apologized and stressed that he had not intended to hit anyone.

"Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all. I'm trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it. Hopefully I can apologize in person and see how he feels," Medvedev said.

The former world No. 1 also claimed that he had not hit the ball out of anger.

A few days later, he explained that his personality away from tennis was quite different from what people usually see during matches.

The Russian stressed that he had never been involved in a physical fight and considered himself a much calmer person in everyday life.

The Russian has another important goal for the closing part of the season, as he hopes to qualify for the ATP Finals.

Medvedev has competed in the year-end tournament several times and won the title in 2020, defeating Dominic Thiem in the final.

He also reached the final in 2021 but lost to Alexander Zverev.

The 30-year-old missed the competition last season following his struggles with form and results.

Despite his improvement this year, the former world No. 1 believes that Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Zverev remain among the main candidates to win Grand Slam tournaments.

However, he also has confidence that he can compete against them and achieve better results in the biggest events.

"I believe in myself. I believe I can do much better than I did the last two years in Slams. I believe I'm proving it in the other tournaments and I know how to do it in general. I have experience of playing good in Slams," Medvedev said.

The Russian has reached six Grand Slam singles finals during his career, winning his only title at the 2021 US Open when he defeated Djokovic.

For now, Medvedev is focused on finishing the season well and collecting enough ranking points to return to the ATP Finals, scheduled for November in Turin.

Marta Kostyuk has confirmed that her wrist pain returned following an unfortunate end to her Ningbo campaign.

After receiving a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed, the 24-year-old Ukrainian launched her Ningbo debut on Wednesday by taking on Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Sadly for Kostyuk, it didn't go well as late in the first set she received a medical timeout for a wrist issue - and after Alexandrova served out the opening set 6-4 in the following game - the reigning Madrid champion retired from the match.

It is worth mentioning that the wrist issue also bothered Kostyuk during the North American hard-court swing. The world No. 10 later withdrew from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and Beijing before making her return in Wuhan and Ningbo, where she went 0-2.

Following the retirement, the Ukrainian tennis star revealed that the same wrist problem had flared up again and that she needed more time to recover.

"The pain in my wrist came back, and as much as I want to keep playing, I know I need to give it more time to recover. Hoping to be back on court soon. Thank you for your support! See you next year, Asia!" Kostyuk wrote on Instagram.

        View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Marta Kostyuk • Марта Костюк (@martakostyuk)

By losing to Alexandrova, Kostyuk officially lost her chances of qualifying directly for the WTA Finals as Karolina Muchova clinched the final spot.

And after retiring in Ningbo and revealing that her wrist pain had returned, the 24-year-old also pulled out of next week's WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo.

Kostyuk could still go to the WTA Finals as an alternate, but that now seems unlikely due to her injury.

Andy Roddick is not happy with the possibility of Serena Williams having to wait several more years before being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The former world No. 1 believes the current rules should not prevent the 23-time Grand Slam champion from receiving recognition, even if she decides to continue her professional tennis career.

The debate started after the International Tennis Hall of Fame announced its nominees for the Class of 2027 on October 18.

Ashleigh Barty, Juan Martin del Potro and Svetlana Kuznetsova were nominated in the Player Category, while Shingo Kunieda was included in the Wheelchair Tennis Category.

Williams, however, was not among the nominees.

The American tennis legend returned to competitive tennis earlier this year, nearly four years after playing what was initially expected to be her final professional match at the 2022 US Open.

Under the Hall of Fame's eligibility requirements, players must no longer have been a significant factor on the ATP or WTA Tour for five calendar years before being considered for induction.

Roddick believes this requirement makes little sense in the case of Serena, who celebrated her 45th birthday in September.

Speaking on his Served podcast, the 2003 US Open champion questioned whether the former world No. 1 should have to wait until 2033 if she plays another season.

"I know it's supposed to reset the clock. Are we saying that if she plays another year, we're going to wait for Serena to get into the Hall of Fame? Let's say she plays next year. We're going to wait until 2033, when Serena is like 50, to put her into the Hall of Fame? ****," Roddick said.

The American also stressed that the Hall of Fame should have more flexibility when considering players who have already achieved a lot during their careers.

"If you get a unanimous yes, I don't care how long you have been retired. Who would have actually cared if Serena came back right now and was already in the Hall of Fame? Who would say that's wrong? That doesn't make any sense."

Williams ended her first tennis career in September 2022, losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the US Open.

At the time, the American had decided to move away from professional tennis and focus more on her family and business activities.

However, the former world No. 1 surprised many tennis fans when she returned to competitive action in June 2026.

The 45-year-old participated in doubles at Queen's Club before making her singles comeback at Wimbledon.

Her first singles match in nearly four years came against Australian youngster Maya Joint, who defeated her 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.

Williams suffered a knee injury during that encounter and was subsequently forced to withdraw from the Wimbledon doubles competition, where she had been scheduled to play alongside her older sister Venus.

The sisters later reunited on court at Cincinnati and the US Open, although they suffered opening-round defeats at both tournaments.

Despite those results, Serena has not completely closed the door on playing more tournaments.

The American recently explained that she was enjoying her return and did not have a fixed plan regarding how long she would continue competing.

Williams has won 73 WTA singles titles, spent 319 weeks as the world No. 1 and claimed four Olympic gold medals during her career.

Her 23 Grand Slam singles titles remain the most won by any woman in the Open Era.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer, who also retired in 2022, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame earlier this year.

The Swiss legend received the honor alongside Mary Carillo, who entered the Hall of Fame in the Contributor Category.

Apart from Serena's situation, Roddick also spoke about the latest nominees and their chances of getting inducted next year.

The American expressed hope that former world No. 3 del Potro would receive enough votes, although he acknowledged that the Argentine's injury problems had affected his career.

"I hope he's in. His nomination is purely how much we value what he did in the limited time where he wasn't hurt. Right, and people are gonna view that in different ways," Roddick said.

Del Potro won the 2009 US Open after defeating Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and Federer in the final.

The Argentine also helped his country win the Davis Cup in 2016 and claimed an Olympic silver medal that same year.

However, recurring wrist and knee problems prevented him from competing regularly during several periods of his professional career.

Roddick was also asked about Kuznetsova, who won the US Open in 2004 and Roland Garros in 2009.

The Russian former world No. 2 also claimed two Grand Slam doubles titles and won 18 WTA singles tournaments.

"Kuznetsova, she should be in. She won a couple of majors, singles, doubles, all of it," the former American tennis star claimed.

Regarding Barty, the Australian is appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.

The former world No. 1 won three Grand Slam singles titles before surprisingly announcing her retirement in March 2022 at the age of 25.

Roddick also raised the question of whether Serena's induction in the same year as Barty could take some attention away from the Australian.

"Honestly, if I'm this class, I don't know if I want Ash Barty to be overshadowed by Serena going in the same year," he said.

To enter the International Tennis Hall of Fame, nominees must receive at least 75 percent support through the official voting process, including any bonus percentage points received from fan voting.

Fans can vote for the 2027 Player Category nominees until October 25, while the official voting group will also make its decisions this fall.

The names of the successful candidates are expected to be announced later this year, although Serena will have to wait for another opportunity under the current eligibility rules.

Novak Djokovic’s unexpected decision to expand his late-2026 calendar by accepting a wild card for the ATP 500 in Basel alongside his entry at the Paris Masters 1000 has sent a clear signal across the tour. While the immediate objective remains securing enough ranking points to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, former World No. 1 Andy Roddick believes the strategic benefits extend far beyond the current season.

Speaking on his podcast, Served, Roddick offered strong praise for Djokovic’s proactive scheduling, framing the extra matches as essential groundwork for the upcoming 2027 Australian Open in January. According to the American, relying on raw talent and instinct alone to navigate a two-week Grand Slam becomes increasingly dangerous as an athlete approaches forty.

"If you haven’t played since the US Open and then try to jump into just one match before immediately attempting to win a Grand Slam, I think that’s extremely difficult," Roddick analyzed during the episode. "I believe it only gets harder as the years go by. At age 39 or 40, it’s much more complicated than it would have been even at 37 for Novak."

Roddick dismissed the notion that even a 24-time Grand Slam champion can simply "improvise" a major title run without competitive rhythm. He noted that committing to late-season official events directly refutes media speculation regarding a potential early sabbatical or skipping the Australian swing altogether.

"If he didn’t intend to go to Australia, he wouldn’t even be signing up for Basel," Roddick pointed out. "It’s not like he’d add Basel to his schedule only to then withdraw."

To maximize his chances in Melbourne, Roddick urged Djokovic to maintain this active approach into the early weeks of 2027 by signing up for an official warm-up event in Australia, accumulating at least four to six competitive matches before stepping onto Rod Laver Arena. By replacing extended rest with high-level competition, Djokovic is taking the necessary steps to ensure his physical sharpness remains equal to his ambition.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is attempting to turn a crucial corner in Kazakhstan. Navigating one of the most challenging stretches of his professional career—which has seen his ATP ranking dip to World No. 39—the 28-year-old is utilizing the ATP 250 event in Almaty to rebuild both his baseline rhythm and his psychological foundation. Chasing his second title of the 2026 season, Tsitsipas views the late-season swing as an essential testing ground for a broader career resurgence.

His opening-round victory over American Aleksandar Kovacevic provided an encouraging start, but his post-match press conference carried far greater weight. The Greek offered high praise for his current coaching structure, led by Thomas Perrin and overseen by Patrick Mouratoglou, while implicitly contrasting it with the tumultuous years spent under the guidance of his father, Apostolos, and former coach Goran Ivanisevic.

Rather than dwelling on past friction, Tsitsipas emphasized the vital necessity of an emotionally stable environment. He noted that establishing a calm atmosphere during daily training sessions accounts for half of a player's performance on court. The Greek star candidly admitted that past conflicts and confusing labels applied to him by previous team members created significant internal turmoil, ultimately forcing him to re-evaluate whom he allows into his professional inner circle.

When asked about his current ranking position relative to generational rivals like Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev—both of whom have secured Grand Slam titles and held the World No. 1 ranking—Tsitsipas rejected any sense of frustration or inadequacy. He emphasized that his career trajectory cannot be measured strictly against the achievements of his peers.

"Their story is not mine, and mine is not theirs," he explained, framing his career as an ongoing learning process defined by resilience rather than external validation. By fully embracing the highs and lows of his journey, Tsitsipas believes his experiences will eventually serve as a valuable blueprint for younger players, while allowing him to write his own legacy without comparison.

Of the five consecutive finals lost before finally breaking the deadlock in 2026, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina remembers two in particular, both played last year.

Finals that have a lowest common denominator, namely the match points wasted: two against Miomir Kecmanovic in Delray Beach and three in the challenge with Alex de Minaur that ended in the tie-break in Washington.

The Spaniard's relationship with unexploited opportunities in decisive matches was about to generate an almost irremediable rift, as evidenced by the numerous manifestations of frustration staged over time. And, instead, the 27-year-old worked on himself and managed to put aside all negative thoughts. Not only did he celebrate the first ATP title of his career in Mallorca, but in China he gave himself two trophies between the Chengdu Open and, above all, the Masters 1000 in Shanghai.

Despite the recent results, on the latest episode of the Nothing Major podcast, Sam Querrey expressed a judgment that is not in line with Davidovich Fokina's ambitions. Just after triumphing at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, he confessed that he always wants to go further to reach the highest positions in the world ranking. The American, however, believes that Davidovich Fokina is not really worth the top 10.

"I think that's his potential: we just saw what he's capable of. For me, he's a top 12 player, he could still be able to get into the top 10. Nowadays anyone can make it to the top ten: you just have to do it for a few weeks, maybe climb to ninth place, and then spend the rest of your career outside the top 10. But can we really consider him a top 10 player? His potential is to reach the top ten places in the rankings, but at the moment he is not a top 10 player," said Querrey.

John Isner, unlike his compatriot, praised Davidovich Fokina. "He is comfortable after winning the first title. The pressure is gone. We all know his talent and the level he is able to express. He suffered many painful defeats in the final: the one in Washington comes to mind. It was difficult for him to overcome that moment, but now it seems that nothing can stop him. He is playing at a very high level and could win two titles a season for the next five years."

Marco Panichi is officially a free agent on the ATP Tour. The esteemed Italian fitness coach recently confirmed his split from Holger Rune, announcing to Gonzo Tennis his intention to embark on a new project for the upcoming season.

With a resume that includes six and a half highly successful years fine-tuning Novak Djokovic's movement mechanics, he is currently weighing multiple offers. For now, he is taking a brief step back from the weekly grind, operating as a fitness consultant for the Kazakh Tennis Federation while carefully plotting his next permanent move.

"I will definitely be back on the Tour next season; it’s what I love to do and what I want to continue doing," he explained, noting he is in no rush to finalize a contract. "There have been several inquiries, and I’ll weigh my options. I want to take some time."

Beyond his own career trajectory, the conversation inevitably shifted to another of his former clients: Jannik Sinner. Panichi previously spent nine months working with the South Tyrolean, who recently shocked the tennis world by ending his 2026 season prematurely due to a persistent right knee injury. With Sky Sport reporting the specific issue as iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS), Panichi offered a sobering biomechanical perspective on the diagnosis.

While clarifying that he lacks inside medical information regarding Sinner's specific case, the veteran trainer explained why ITBS is particularly devastating for elite tennis players competing relentlessly on abrasive hard courts.

"It’s a classic runner’s ailment," he noted. "It’s an overuse injury, often exacerbated by poor foot strike mechanics. Over time, the iliotibial band—which runs along the side of the knee—can become inflamed at its insertion point. It’s quite troublesome."

Crucially, Panichi highlighted the difficult rehabilitation path for this specific type of inflammation, warning that conservative management is usually the only viable option. "If that’s what it is, it will keep him sidelined for a while. In cases like this, surgery doesn’t offer the same level of reliable outcome as it might for other injuries—like a torn cruciate ligament, for instance. Hardly anyone undergoes surgery for this particular issue."

Sinner's physical breakdown is indicative of a much broader crisis on the modern ATP circuit. Panichi emphasized that today's athletes are subjected to unprecedented biomechanical strain, driven by heavier balls, grueling rallies, and a relentless schedule that is now artificially inflated by lucrative exhibition matches.

"The physical exertion these guys put in on the court is truly significant. The intensity used to be much lower," Panichi concluded. "Furthermore, there’s a constant demand for top tennis players to compete—often in exhibition matches—and it’s difficult for them to say no. The biggest stars are in high demand, making it increasingly challenging for them to manage their schedules."

Novak Djokovic is adjusting his schedule as he pursues one of the remaining places at the ATP Finals. 

The 39-year-old has added the ATP 500 event in Basel to his schedule, returning to Roger Federer's town for the first time since 2011.

Novak #Djokovic Day 1 practice in Beijing, at the centre court "Diamond" of @ChinaOpen https://t.co/PMceUnrP2B

— milos (@milos64692648) September 26, 2026

Andy Roddick believes the decision could also benefit the Serbian ahead of the Australian Open, where a long break from competition could make the opening matches particularly demanding.

The American sees value in Djokovic playing several matches before the end of the year rather than relying entirely on training before heading to Melbourne next January. 

As the 39-year-old carefully manages his workload, finding the right balance between physical preparation and competitive rhythm could prove crucial, especially at this stage of his career.

For the last couple of years, the Belgrade native has become increasingly selective with his schedule. However, his latest adjustment could serve a purpose beyond the immediate race for the ATP Finals. 

After nearly two months away from competition, returning directly to the demands of the Australian summer can be difficult, with the first Major event of the season arriving already in the first month of the new year.

Roddick believes that match play becomes even more important as players get older. Training remains essential for maintaining strength and fitness. Still it cannot fully reproduce the pressure, intensity and physical demands of actual competition. 

By adding another tournament late in the season, Novak could give himself more opportunities to sharpen game and assess his condition before the new campaign begins in 2027.

Roddick would like to see Djokovic play six matches or more before the Australian Open. That would give him valuable competitive preparation while allowing him to continue working on the physical aspects of his game.

The recovery also plays a major role in the story. The 24-time Major winner doesn't need to rush back simply because he has been away from the Tour, and time spent strengthening his body could be just as valuable as time on court. 

The key remains in finding the right balance between preparation and competition. Novak remains open to different ways of getting his bofy and mind into the right place ahead of the biggest tournaments. 

If he can combine effective physical training with several competitive outings before January, the ten-time champion may give himself a stronger platform for another strong Australian Open campaign.

The legend stopped the clock again in Melbourne this year, having beaten Jannik Sinner in the semi-final in five thrilling sets. He even claimed the opening set against Carlos Alcaraz in the title clash before the young gun turned the tables.

For now, Novak's immediate objective is to make a late-season push for the ATP Finals, seeking deep runs in Basel and Paris. The importance of those matches could extend well beyond Turin, potentially shaping how well he begins the next season in Australia. 

"I love the way Novak handles all of this, because if you haven’t played since the US Open, and then you try to jump into a match in Brisbane followed by the Australian Open, I think that’s generally very difficult - and it only gets harder with time.

It’s much tougher at 40, where Novak is now, than at 37. I love that he can still play matches; even if he takes a month off, he won't be desperate to get that adrenaline rush back. Those feelings don’t just vanish in a week or two.

During that time, you can focus on strengthening your body and getting in all the necessary physical training. But I really like the idea of ​​playing matches at the end of the year, before heading to Australia in January.

I would love to see him play three, four, five, or even six matches before the Australian Open. I think that at this stage of his career - and the fact that he is adding tournaments at the last minute might be a sign of this - he could well embrace that approach. 

I would be thrilled to see him do it," Andy Roddick said.

Kevin Kisner has once again criticized Rory McIlroy over his decision to compete in India, insisting that the Northern Irishman would never have traveled there without receiving money.

The 42-year-old American golfer attracted attention last week after questioning McIlroy's explanation that he wanted to help grow golf around the world.

Kisner claimed that appearance fees were the real reason why several famous golfers decided to compete at the DP World India Championship.

However, the four-time PGA Tour winner has now returned to the subject, claiming that the media exaggerated his initial comments.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Fore Play podcast, the former US Ryder Cup vice captain explained that he had nothing against McIlroy accepting money to play in India.

"Was it really an evisceration, though?" Kisner asked.

"I feel like it's more of every other media company in the world taking whatever could be controversial, putting their own little quotations around whatever my rant was, and then clipping it and putting it all over their social programs.

"If you actually listen to the whole rant, it's basically like, 'Yeah, I would go too.'"

Kisner stressed that the presence of McIlroy, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood in India was not something that normally happened without financial incentives.

"My point was just, you know, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, and Rory McIlroy don't just suddenly show up in India on the DP World Tour. It just doesn't happen," he added.

The American also mentioned the RBC Heritage, a PGA Tour tournament that offers a large prize fund, when questioning McIlroy's schedule.

"I mean, Rory doesn't even show up to Harbour Town [RBC Heritage] for 20 million bucks, pretty close to home."

The former world No. 14 made further comments about the money involved in attracting famous golfers to international tournaments.

Kisner insisted that he supported the idea of making golf more popular in India, but questioned why the five-time major champion had suddenly become so interested in competing there.

"There's a reason why these guys are going, and I don't hate them for it.

"I just think it's fascinating that nobody wants to be honest with the world, right?

"It's like, yeah, I'm all for you growing the game too, Rory.

"I think it's great that we get more people in India to play golf.

"But if it was zero dollars, you're not showing up there.

"You didn't show up the last 16 years. Why, suddenly, is India great?"

Interestingly, this is not the first time Kisner has spoken about the financial side of McIlroy's appearance in India.

Last week, the American claimed that the Northern Irishman was interested in receiving an appearance fee rather than promoting golf in another country.

Kisner even suggested that McIlroy was receiving $10 million to compete in New Delhi, although that amount has not been publicly confirmed.

The former Ryder Cup vice captain also questioned why the world No. 2 would choose to compete at Delhi Golf Club, where the narrow layout limited his opportunities to use his driver.

McIlroy was among several well-known golfers who traveled to India, with Rose, Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Patrick Reed also taking part in the tournament.

The event was eventually won by Eugenio Chacarra, who finished ahead of his rivals to claim the title.

McIlroy, meanwhile, struggled to produce his best golf and finished tied for 42nd, 17 strokes behind the winner.

After completing his final round in India on Sunday, McIlroy was asked about the American's statements.

The 37-year-old appeared confused about why Kisner was questioning his decision to play the tournament.

"I don't know why me being in India would make 'Kis' need to comment on it," McIlroy said.

When informed that Kisner had suggested he was participating only because of the money, the Northern Irishman responded with another question.

"How would he know that?"

The five-time major champion then explained that earning money and helping golf become more popular could happen at the same time.

"Two things can be true at the same time.

"People can get paid to come and play at a tournament but at the same time do it from a place of genuine interest of trying to bring the sport to another country, a developing country, a country where the middle class in India is larger than the whole population of the United States.

"It's a huge market for golf."

McIlroy has repeatedly stressed that he wants to compete in more countries and encourage other famous players to consider tournaments outside the United States.

The Northern Irishman competed in India for the first time in 2025 and returned this year after speaking positively about his previous experience.

He has also confirmed plans to compete in Australia later this season, continuing his efforts to play a more international schedule.

Earlier this month, the five-time major champion signed a multi-year agreement to become a global ambassador for DP World.

McIlroy has previously criticized LIV Golf over the large amounts of money being paid to established players, arguing that investment should also benefit the development of the sport.

For Kisner, however, the debate surrounding the India Championship is not about whether professional golfers should accept appearance fees.

The American insists that he would also accept a financially attractive invitation, but continues to question how some players describe their reasons for competing.

McIlroy has not publicly responded to Kisner's latest comments from the podcast.

Former Coco Gauff coach Brad Gilbert believes Alexandra Eala is probably dealing with more pressure than any other tennis player and is very interested to see how the Filipina performs in 2027.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a successful 2026 season, winning her first WTA title, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 18 and making progress at Grand Slam tournaments.

However, Eala has also become one of the most popular players on the women's tour, attracting huge crowds wherever she plays.

Gilbert, who previously coached Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Gauff, recently appeared on Tennis Channel's The Big T podcast alongside former world No. 9 Andrea Petkovic.

The American was asked about the players he would be watching next season, and he quickly mentioned Eala.

"Maybe the player I'm most interested to see where she's going to go in 2027 — she probably has the most pressure on her of any player — is Eala," Gilbert said.

Petkovic agreed that the Filipino tennis star would be an interesting player to follow next year.

"It's going to be so interesting to see how she backs up this amazing season she's had this year.

What a brilliant young lady Alex Eala is, right? Not only with her tennis, but also with her personality.

We talked about her plenty already because of her great success on court, but the way she masters everything off court is really, really impressive, don't you think?"

Gilbert, who helped Gauff win the 2023 US Open, also praised the way Eala behaves away from tennis.

"Yeah, she handles herself beautifully. From a country that's never had any players, it's great to see. And she's got fans to travel," the 65-year-old American said.

Gilbert has previously spoken about Eala's tennis and identified her serve as one of the things she needs to improve.

Following her third-round defeat to Iva Jovic at the US Open in September, the former world No. 4 claimed that the Filipina needed to make changes to her serve if she wanted to reach the next level.

Eala and Jovic played for more than three hours on Arthur Ashe Stadium, with the American eventually winning 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.

Gilbert described their meeting as one of the best matches of the tournament, although he was not satisfied with certain parts of Eala's game.

Earlier this month, the Filipina spoke openly about the expectations surrounding her career after representing her country at the Asian Games.

The 21-year-old entered the competition as one of the favorites for the gold medal but eventually finished with bronze after losing to China's Wang Xiyu in the semifinals.

Following that result, Eala admitted that the attention she receives can sometimes be difficult to handle.

"I get overwhelmed sometimes," the Filipino tennis player said while speaking about the pressure and expectations.

The former world No. 18 has become a very popular sports figure in the Philippines, a country that has not traditionally had many players competing at the highest level of professional tennis.

Her matches regularly attract large numbers of Filipino supporters, even when she is competing far away from home.

During the Asian swing, fans continued to support Eala despite some disappointing results.

The youngster suffered an early defeat to Russian qualifier Tatiana Prozorova at the Singapore Open before losing to Chinese qualifier Shi Han in the first round of the Wuhan Open.

Both defeats came against lower-ranked opponents, while Eala had also failed to achieve her main goal of winning gold at the Asian Games.

However, the 21-year-old has repeatedly stressed that she wants to focus on improving rather than thinking too much about her ranking.

Ahead of the Ningbo Open, the Filipina spoke about the new experiences she has been having this season.

"I'm thankfully experiencing so many new things, so as I experience, of course I learn and try to be a better player, try to be a better person, and yeah, take it step by step.

"I think when I'm able to focus on my work, especially on court, and that I'm able to compartmentalise and really prioritise what needs to be on top."

After suffering three consecutive defeats on the WTA Tour, Eala returned to winning ways at the Ningbo Open on Monday.

The world No. 20 defeated France's Diane Parry 6-3, 6-1 in just 77 minutes to record her 34th tour-level victory of the season.

Interestingly, before the beginning of 2026, Eala had won only 15 tour-level matches throughout her entire career.

Against Parry, the Filipino tennis star hit 12 winners and committed only nine unforced errors.

She also won seven consecutive games after the opening set had been tied at 3-3.

Following the match, Eala said she was happy to finally get another victory.

"I'm very happy with my performance. I think it was a really good first round, tough first round.

"Diane is a great player and I think she's had a really good year. Congrats to her for the year she's done and really happy to be in the second round. I'm very happy to have won the first round."

The youngster also thanked the supporters who attended her match in China.

"Thank you everyone. Thank you so much for the support. It really makes my job very fun, even in the difficult moments. I'm really happy to be here."

Eala is now preparing for her second-round meeting against world No. 13 Diana Shnaider in Ningbo, where she hopes to continue her winning run before the final tournaments of the 2026 season.

After beating Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the ATP 250 in Lyon, in his first match on the major circuit since Roland Garros, the seventeen-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame stopped in the round of 16 against another Italian, Lorenzo Musetti.

The former world number 5, now number 26 in the ATP rankings, proved to be extremely solid against the young French talent, whose potential he was already aware of. Musetti won with a score of 6-4, 6-4, in an hour and 49 minutes of play.

"It didn't surprise me too much, because we trained together in Monte Carlo this year," Musetti said on the court. "I know his potential and I know what he is capable of. I knew it was going to be a difficult match. Obviously, the crowd wanted the Frenchman to win. I did my best and managed to stay focused until the end. Even though there was a lot of noise during the match, I didn't say anything. I think I behaved in a respectful way."

"I am very happy with the level of play I expressed - he continued - it created a lot of problems for me and he moved really well in prolonged rallies. I think he has a bright future ahead of him and I wish him the best for the continuation of his career," said Lorenzo Musetti to the ATP microphone after the victory.

To win a place in the semifinals at the ATP 250 tournament in Lyon, the Italian tennis player will face the winner of the challenge between Valentin Vacherot and Luca Van Assche who will play today.

The ace from Carrara has had a season conditioned by bad luck. Injuries have plagued him for most of 2026, preventing him from playing as often as he would have liked.

Lorenzo admitted that it was not easy to accept certain situations, but he hopes to be ready for the start of 2027 (which will be a crucial year for his entire career).

Former Coco Gauff coach Brad Gilbert has criticized Rafael Jodar over his behavior toward a ball kid during the Shanghai Masters.

The 20-year-old Spanish tennis star enjoyed the best tournament of his career last week, reaching his first Masters 1000 final before losing to fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

However, Jodar also attracted criticism after an incident during his fourth-round match against Botic van de Zandschulp. The youngster lost his temper and directed offensive words at a ball kid, which resulted in a code violation from the chair umpire.

Gilbert, who has previously praised Jodar's tennis abilities, has now shared his opinion on the incident.

Speaking on Tennis Channel, the former American player and coach made it clear that he did not approve of the Spaniard's actions.

"Losing your temper with a ball kid is inexcusable," Gilbert said, according to the French tennis outlet We Love Tennis.

The American, who helped Gauff win her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, has followed Jodar's progress throughout the season.

In August, Gilbert praised the young player's backhand, his returning abilities and the improvements he was making each week.

But this time, the former world No. 4 had criticism for the rising Spanish player.

The controversial moment happened during the second set of Jodar's fourth-round match against Van de Zandschulp on October 14.

After losing a point, the Spaniard demanded his towel from a ball kid and used offensive language in Spanish.

Chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote understood what the youngster had said and immediately gave him a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The 20-year-old initially questioned the decision but later admitted that the umpire had been right.

After beating Casper Ruud 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, Jodar was asked about the incident during his press conference.

"I shouldn't have done that to the ball kid. It was my mistake. I respect a lot the ball kids and the umpires in all the matches and all the tournaments. I shouldn't have treated the ball kid the way I did," the Spaniard said.

"I was very frustrated because how the match was going for me. It was a very close point. I didn't mean to hurt the feelings of the ball kid or anything, I was just frustrated with me. I couldn't control my emotions at that point of the match.

"I'll try not to do it again, because that's not the right way to treat the ball kids. I respect a lot their job and it wasn't anything against him or against any ball kids or umpire."

Jodar also stressed that he wanted to apologize directly to the ball kid if he had an opportunity to meet him again.

The Spanish tennis player admitted that controlling his behavior was another area where he needed to improve.

"As I am learning how to do the forehand or how to do the backhand or how to do the serve, I'm also learning how to behave on the court. I'm not perfect, I'm a human, I make mistakes, so I'll learn from this mistake," he added.

It was not the first time the youngster had been involved in an incident concerning a ball kid.

During this year's French Open, a video circulated on social media showing a ball girl falling as Jodar passed her.

Some viewers accused the Spaniard of pushing her, but the player denied making contact and said the girl had tripped while moving backward.

Interestingly, Gilbert had spoken very positively about Jodar just two months before his latest criticism.

In an August post on X, the former American player said he had been following the Spanish youngster and was delighted with his improvement.

Gilbert pointed out that Jodar did not play like many other Spanish tennis players, who often prefer to move around their backhand and hit a forehand instead.

He also praised the youngster's return of serve and his confidence when hitting his backhand.

Jodar has since made further progress on the ATP Tour.

In Shanghai, the Spaniard defeated several experienced players and reached the semifinals after his victory over Ruud.

He then beat former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev to reach his first Masters 1000 final.

Facing Davidovich Fokina in the title match, Jodar made a very good start and took the opening set 6-1.

However, his fellow Spaniard recovered to win 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 and claim the biggest title of his career.

After the final, Jodar said he had given everything during the tournament but admitted that some small details had decided the match.

The 20-year-old is now among the highest-ranked young players in men's tennis, having reached a career-high world No. 11.

After his Shanghai performance and the criticism surrounding the ball kid incident, Jodar will continue his season looking to improve both his results and his behavior on the court.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is currently enjoying the most defining stretch of his professional career. After enduring an agonizing streak of five consecutive final defeats—highlighted by traumatic, squandered match points against Miomir Kecmanovic in Delray Beach and Alex de Minaur in Washington last season—the 27-year-old has entirely rewritten his narrative in 2026.

Shedding his reputation for late-match mental fragility, he captured his maiden ATP title in Mallorca before dominating the Asian swing with back-to-back trophies at the Chengdu Open and the prestigious Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Riding the massive momentum of his Masters 1000 breakthrough, Davidovich Fokina publicly declared his ambition to permanently infiltrate the sport's highest echelon. However, that elite aspiration was met with swift, brutal skepticism from former American player Sam Querrey. Speaking on the latest episode of the Nothing Major podcast, Querrey delivered a highly critical assessment of Davidovich Fokina’s absolute ceiling on the ATP Tour, drawing a sharp distinction between a brief mathematical peak and actual top-tier pedigree.

"I think this is his potential—we’ve just seen what he’s capable of. To me, he’s a top-12 player," Querrey argued during the broadcast.

The American elaborated that modern ranking dynamics often allow surging players to briefly crash the single digits without truly belonging to that elite class. "These days, anyone can reach the top ten—you just need to manage it for a few weeks, maybe climb to ninth place, and then spend the rest of your career outside the top 10. He has the potential to reach the top ten in the rankings, but right now, he isn’t a top-10 player."

That harsh evaluation was quickly countered by Querrey's podcast co-host, John Isner, who views the Shanghai victory as a permanent psychological unblocking rather than a temporary streak. Instead of focusing on ranking limitations, Isner highlighted how securing that elusive first trophy in Mallorca completely eradicated the heavy mental baggage that had previously derailed Davidovich Fokina’s career in crucial moments.

"He’s feeling comfortable now that he’s won his first title. The pressure has vanished," Isner noted, specifically referencing the agonizing Washington loss as a hurdle finally cleared. "We’re all aware of his talent and the level he’s capable of reaching. It was tough for him to move past that, but now it seems like nothing can stop him. He’s playing at a very high level and could well win two titles a season for the next five years."

Luciano Darderi has made it clear that he wants to represent Italy at the upcoming Davis Cup Finals, with the 24-year-old saying he is ready to take advantage of Jannik Sinner's absence.

The Italian team will defend its title in Bologna from November 24 to 29, but it will have to do so without the former world No. 1.

Sinner has decided not to participate in this year's competition, leaving captain Filippo Volandri with an important decision regarding the Italian team.

Darderi, who is currently ranked 23rd in the world, believes he deserves an opportunity to make his Davis Cup debut. However, the Italian-Argentine player stressed that the final decision belongs to the captain.

The five-time ATP champion spoke about his ambitions during an interview conducted in Almaty, where he was participating in one of his final tournaments of the season.

"I'm taking it calmly. I'm ready. If captain Volandri calls me, I'll be there. But these are decisions that don't depend on me. I know there are many good players, so we'll see who the captain thinks deserves it more. But I'm definitely ready to compete," Darderi said.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a quite successful season, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 16 in May.

He has also made progress on hard courts, a surface on which he previously struggled compared to clay.

"This year I've also improved on hard courts, proving that I'm not just a clay-court player. I reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open and the US Open, losing only to Sinner and Zverev. I'm happy that my level has improved on this surface," he explained.

"This is very important if I want to break into the top 10 in the future. I have to keep pushing and play more tournaments on hard courts, as I've been doing lately."

Darderi suffered an early defeat at the Almaty Open on Wednesday, losing 7-5, 7-6 to Australian James Duckworth.

The Italian entered the tournament as the second seed but failed to get past his opening match.

This is not the first time that Darderi has openly expressed his desire to play for Italy.

During the US Open in September, the Italian tennis star was asked whether he would prefer to finish the season inside the top 20 or receive an opportunity to represent his country in the Davis Cup.

"Both. They are two goals I want to achieve, so sooner or later I want to accomplish both. If I had to choose just one by the end of the year, it would definitely be the Davis Cup," he said.

"I have been ranked among the top 30 for three consecutive years and still haven't played. It's true that there are many players, but I would really like to be part of it."

Although Darderi was born in Argentina, he has spent a lot of his life in Italy and previously represented the country at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

His father, Gino, worked as a tennis coach in Rome for 25 years, while his grandfather lived in the Italian city of Fano.

The 24-year-old pointed out that his connection to Italy goes back to his childhood.

"Maybe you can hear my Argentine accent, but I've spent most of my life in Italy. I would really like to play for the national team. It's a dream I've had for a long time," Darderi said.

The Italian also recalled competing in junior tournaments alongside Flavio Cobolli and Lorenzo Musetti, two players who are now among his possible competitors for a place in the Davis Cup team.

All three were born in 2002 and have known each other for many years.

Italy has won the last three Davis Cup titles, becoming one of the most successful national teams in recent years.

Sinner played an important part in the country's triumphs in 2023 and 2024, but the Italians also managed to defend their title without him in 2025.

Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini were among the players who helped Italy win last year's competition.

Volandri now has several options for the upcoming Finals, including Musetti, Berrettini, Cobolli and Darderi.

The Italian captain recently explained that he would continue evaluating the players until the final weeks before the event.

"I will evaluate them until the week of the ATP Finals, which is the week before the Davis Cup. Those who show technical, physical and mental reliability will be called up," Volandri said.

The former ATP player also defended Sinner's decision to skip the competition, explaining that the Italian star wanted to be completely prepared before returning.

Meanwhile, Darderi has other ambitions beyond the Davis Cup.

The world No. 23 hopes to reach the top 10 in the ATP rankings and eventually qualify for the ATP Finals. Winning a Masters 1000 tournament is another goal he has mentioned.

At the beginning of October, the 24-year-old also spoke about wanting to compete in Turin, even if he could only participate as a reserve.

Before his Almaty appearance, Darderi confirmed that he was feeling much better physically after dealing with plantar fasciitis last season.

He stressed that he was at 100 percent physically and still had energy for the closing part of the year.

For now, the Italian will continue competing on the ATP Tour while waiting to see whether Volandri includes him in his Davis Cup plans.

Italy will begin its title defense in Bologna next month, with the Finals scheduled from November 24 to 29.

Elena Rybakina is through to the Ningbo quarterfinal after world No. 105 Polina Kudermetova retired in tears during the opening set of their match.

Kudermetova, who won two qualifying matches and also defeated Cristina Bucsa in the first round, blew two game points in a lengthy opening game before the top-seeded Kazakh converted her sixth break point to claim a break right out of the gate.

And after Rybakina served out the second game and registered another break to go 3-0 up, the 23-year-old Uzbekistani took a medical timeout - during which she only received medication.

Medical time out for Polina Kudermetova Treatment unclear as of now Elena Rybakina to serve next 3-0 up in set 1 https://t.co/zVH5ocjhfS

— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) October 22, 2026

Once the match continued, the top seed held serve before clinching her third break of the match to open a 5-0 lead.

Kudermetova then retired from the match. It is worth mentioning that the former world No. 54 cried before retiring.

Polina Kudermetova retired at 0-5 down vs Elena Rybakina at the Ningbo WTA 500. Called physio at 0-3 down and was crying before retiring. https://t.co/3w7k42gnmB

— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) October 22, 2026

It was the second meeting between the two. Previously, the current world No. 1 also won their 2023 Berlin meeting in straight sets.

After winning her third Grand Slam title at the US Open, the 27-year-old Kazakh was upset in her Beijing opener by Alina Charaeva before withdrawing from Wuhan.

However, today, Rybakina managed to get her first win in 40 days and register her first victory of the Asian swing.

For a place in the Ningbo semifinal, the reigning US Open champion will battle world No. 128 Katarzyna Kawa, who clinched her first top-30 win earlier today by upsetting Belinda Bencic.

The 27-year-old Kazakh and the 33-year-old Pole have no previous meetings.

Meanwhile, Rybakina is the defending champion in Ningbo and has now won her last five matches at the tournament.

The toxic intersection of professional tennis and sports betting was violently dragged into the spotlight this week following a chilling online attack directed at Stefano Cobolli, father of ascending Italian star Flavio Cobolli.

Following Flavio's opening-round exit against Adrian Mannarino at the Shanghai Masters, a disgruntled bettor posted a sickening message on Stefano's profile, explicitly wishing cancer and a gruesome death upon his son. While social media has amplified the volume and immediacy of these vitriolic attacks, the underlying pathology of bettors threatening athletes over lost wagers is not a modern phenomenon.

The Cobolli incident prompted veteran Italian coach Claudio Pistolesi to come forward and reveal a disturbing chapter from his own career, proving that this dark underbelly of the sport has existed completely unregulated for nearly two decades.

Speaking in an interview with Fanpage, the former World No. 71 detailed a terrifying ordeal from 2008 while he was coaching Simone Bolelli. Long before the era of direct messages on Instagram, the harassment manifested in physical mail delivered directly to his personal residence.

"Back when I was coaching Bolelli, I received a letter at home," Pistolesi recalled. "It contained death threats and a drawing of a coffin. It said, 'You’re going to end up in here—you’re pathetic.'"

Pistolesi noted the letter was postmarked from Brescia. He expressed profound relief that he intercepted the mail instead of his elderly mother, who frequently stayed at the residence while he was traveling on tour. Despite filing a formal complaint with the carabinieri, the investigation led to a dead end. Pistolesi admitted that, in hindsight, the lack of resolution might have been for the best, confessing that a physical confrontation with the stalker would have likely landed the coach in prison.

Connecting his 2008 nightmare to Cobolli’s current ordeal, Pistolesi emphasized that the betting-fueled abuse plagues players at all levels, completely unchecked by authorities. He noted that even junior players ranked outside the top 600 training at his academy face the exact same vicious targeting.

"Modern technology makes it possible for anyone to communicate directly with players," Pistolesi stated. "What’s baffling is that we can’t seem to track down and prosecute these sick individuals—people living miserable lives who seek a shortcut to making money through betting."

By publicly supporting the Cobolli family's decision to expose the abuse, Pistolesi hopes the sport's governing bodies will finally take definitive legal action to protect athletes from the violent fallout of the sports betting industry.

Carlos Alcaraz has once again shown his appreciation for tennis fans after sending a handwritten letter and a signed photograph to one of his supporters.

The 23-year-old Spanish tennis star is known for spending time with fans, whether he is playing at a Grand Slam tournament or taking part in smaller events.

On Wednesday, October 21, a social media user shared a story about Alcaraz writing a personal letter to a fan who has been following his tennis career. The former world No. 1 thanked the supporter for his interest and also sent him an autographed photograph.

A post shared by the X account @fvaeey read: "carlos wrote a handwritten letter to a fan thanking him for following his tennis career and even sent him a signed photograph as a keepsake."

carlos wrote a handwritten letter to a fan thanking him for following his tennis career and even sent him a signed photograph as a keepsake 🥹 the fact that he took the time to write something so personal makes this even more special. he’s not only an incredible tennis player but such a lovely person too ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

— f #7inMelbourne (@fvaeey) October 21, 2026

The letter has attracted attention on social media, although its complete wording has not been independently confirmed.

Alcaraz, who is currently ranked third in the world, has received a lot of support from tennis fans since becoming one of the leading players on the ATP Tour.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion has often spoken about his relationship with supporters and how much he enjoys receiving messages from them.

During the 2023 Canadian Open in Toronto, Alcaraz was among several players who received handwritten messages as part of an initiative organized by Tennis Canada.

The Spaniard, who was only 20 at the time, said he enjoyed reading the messages and appreciated the support he was receiving.

"It's great to know all the love from the people. I read the messages that they write me on social media as well, in every platform and, of course, in the cards as well," Alcaraz said at the time.

"Every day that I [went] into the locker room, I saw the cards. And for me, it's great to read it and know all the love that they have [for] me."

Andy Murray and Andrey Rublev also received messages from supporters during the tournament.

Rublev said he was grateful whenever fans took time to write something positive to the players.

Alcaraz has also been involved in several moments with young tennis supporters during Grand Slam tournaments.

At the 2024 French Open, the Spaniard was preparing for his final against Alexander Zverev when he approached a young fan during a practice session.

The young supporter handed him a piece of paper, while Carlos gave him a tennis ball. The two also exchanged a high-five before the player continued his preparations.

Another similar moment happened at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, when Alcaraz gave a tennis ball to a young boy and received a handmade drawing in return.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion was also involved in an interesting situation during the 2025 US Open.

A fan sitting higher in the stands wanted the Spaniard to sign a poster. Carlos signed it but initially had difficulties returning it to the supporter because of the distance.

The Spanish player then tried using a tennis ball to help return the signed item.

During the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, Alcaraz was praised after helping a spectator who became unwell during his first-round match against Fabio Fognini.

The match was interrupted while the woman received medical attention. The Spaniard approached the situation and provided water to help the spectator.

Following the incident, the woman's daughter contacted the tennis star through social media and thanked him for his actions.

Alcaraz responded with a supportive message.

His former coaches have also spoken positively about his behavior away from tennis. Kiko Navarro, who worked with Carlos during his younger years, has previously praised the Spaniard for remaining humble despite his success.

The former world No. 1 has also been open about his feelings when playing in front of large crowds.

After returning from a wrist injury earlier this year, Alcaraz explained how much he had missed competing and receiving support from spectators.

"There's no better tournament than the US Open to be back and feel the love and the warm welcome that the people here always give to me," he said during the 2026 US Open media day.

His comeback followed a lengthy absence from the ATP Tour after suffering a wrist problem in April.

The 23-year-old eventually returned to competition in New York and later played at the Laver Cup, Tokyo Open and Shanghai Masters.

Carlos won the Tokyo title before suffering a third-round defeat to Zizou Bergs in Shanghai.

The Spaniard has since decided to make changes to his schedule and enter the Vienna Open, which takes place next week.

He is also expected to participate in the Paris Masters and ATP Finals before the end of the season.

While Alcaraz prepares for the final tournaments of 2026, his handwritten letter has given one of his supporters a special memory away from the tennis court.

Scottie Scheffler has made it clear that he would have no problem retiring from professional golf if his career ever started having a negative impact on his family life.

The 30-year-old American golfer has dominated the PGA Tour in recent years, winning 22 titles since February 2022 and collecting four major championships.

However, the world No. 1 has repeatedly stressed that golf is not the most important thing in his life, despite enjoying a lot of success.

Scheffler, who has been compared to Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, prefers spending time with his family rather than focusing too much on his achievements.

Speaking ahead of the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, the American explained that he would immediately end his professional career if golf affected his relationship with his wife Meredith or their son Bennett.

"If my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son," Scheffler said, adding that he would stop playing professionally.

The four-time major champion also admitted that becoming a successful father was much more important to him than winning golf tournaments.

Scheffler has been married to Meredith since 2020, while the couple welcomed their first child in May 2024.

Although the American has spent years competing at the highest level, he has always tried to keep his personal life away from the public.

Before the 2025 Open Championship, Scheffler surprised some golf fans when he openly questioned why winning tournaments was so important to him.

The American admitted that becoming the best golfer in the world did not necessarily bring lasting happiness.

He pointed out that the excitement of winning a tournament often disappeared after only a few minutes.

Scheffler used his victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson as an example, recalling how happy he had been to win a tournament close to home.

After celebrating with his family, however, his attention quickly returned to ordinary things, including what they were going to eat for dinner.

The experienced golfer stressed that he enjoyed practicing, competing and improving his game, but did not want his entire life to depend on golf.

He also spoke about the difficulties of traveling around the world while raising a young child.

During the same press conference, Scheffler was asked why he was not interested in playing more tournaments outside the United States.

The world No. 1 explained that his family responsibilities were more important than expanding his international schedule.

At the Scottish Open a week earlier, the American also spoke about wanting to spend time with his wife and son whenever he was not competing.

He explained that he could not always travel with his family and therefore preferred being at home instead of playing additional golf.

Scheffler made similar comments following the birth of Bennett in 2024.

During that year's PGA Championship, he said that he and his wife wanted to maintain a relatively normal life despite the attention surrounding his career.

The American explained that they enjoyed spending time with friends, going out for dinner and doing ordinary activities.

Scheffler's statements about family and professional success also received attention from former NFL star Tom Brady.

In July 2025, the seven-time Super Bowl champion shared his opinion after the golfer suggested that family would always be more important than his career.

Brady agreed that spending time with children was important, but he also claimed that working hard and pursuing professional goals could help parents teach their children valuable lessons.

The former quarterback stressed that children could learn a lot from watching their parents remain dedicated to their work.

Brady, who spent more than two decades playing professional football, also reflected on his own experiences with balancing family responsibilities and his career.

His comments attracted attention because Scheffler had spoken about being prepared to walk away from golf despite being the best player in the world.

The American golfer, meanwhile, continued enjoying success after making those statements.

Just days after his press conference at Royal Portrush, Scheffler won the 2025 Open Championship and added another major title to his record.

He also enjoyed a successful PGA Tour season, winning six tournaments in 2025 and continuing his run at the top of the world rankings.

The four-time major champion has also explained that he enjoys practicing golf even when nobody is watching.

After winning the 2025 PGA Championship, Scheffler spoke about how much he liked being alone on the practice range and trying to improve different parts of his game.

For the 30-year-old American, there is no indication that retirement is currently part of his plans.

However, Scheffler has made his position clear regarding the circumstances that could eventually lead him to leave professional golf, regardless of his ranking or the number of titles he has won.

No. 6 seed Diana Shnaider held her nerve to overcome Alexandra Eala 7-5 6-4 in a turbulent Ningbo match and progress into the quarterfinal.

Through the opening eight games of the match, both players firmly held their serve as not a single break was seen.

But from that point on, both players started struggling on serve - especially Eala.

After claiming the first break of the match in the ninth game, Shnaider failed to close out the set on her serve in the following game. However, the Russian tennis star earned another break in the 11th game and closed out the opener on her second attempt.

Diana delivers 🤌 Shnaider grabs the first set 7-5 and gives herself the advantage against Eala! #NingboOpen https://t.co/3GkULGVZDF

— wta (@WTA) October 22, 2026

The opening six games of the second set featured as many breaks - Shnaider went up a break three times, but Eala came back on each occasion. And while both players finally held their serves in the seventh and eighth games, those games also featured break points.

However, it didn't take long before we saw another break as the Russian broke the 20th-ranked Filipina for a 5-4 lead. Serving for the match, the No. 6 seed saved two break points before finally converting her seventh match point to complete the win in an hour and 55 minutes.

It was the first meeting between the 22-year-old Russian and the 21-year-old Filipina.

After overcoming the Eala challenge, the Russian is set to battle No. 4 seed Jovic for a place in the Ningbo semifinal.

It will be the second meeting between the two as Jovic claimed a 6-4 1-6 6-0 win in Dubai earlier this year.

It remains to be seen if Shnaider can get her revenge against Jovic and reach the Ningbo semifinal.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is finally serene. The decidedly more comforting results and the attitude on the court seem to testify that the Greek tennis player's work with the new team is paying off, both on the court and, above all, for the player's head.

The 28-year-old is slowly climbing the rankings and at the ATP 250 in Almaty he is a candidate among the eligible favorites for the final success, which could be worth for him the second title of the season and a lot of confidence in view of the last tournaments of the year or, even better, for next season.

Speaking at the press conference after the debut success over the American Kovacevic, Tsitsipas praised the atmosphere in his new team, throwing a few digs at his father Apostolos.

The former world number three gave credit for his improvements to his team, captained by coach Thomas Perrin and the supervision of Patrick Mouratoglou: "My team represents half of my work. It is a team that inspires me, in which a serene atmosphere reigns. Creating that feeling of tranquility, both in training and in everyday life, is very important and pleasant. You need to be surrounded by the right people. Throughout my career I have been through all sorts of things. I have had to deal with some pretty difficult moments. I am a man who likes to work a lot, ready to work hard."

A clear message to his father and former coach Goran Ivanisevic, reiterated with these words: "They educated me from an early age with the belief that everything that matters in life is achieved with a lot of work. That's why, when they gave me certain names, I started to feel confused. I had never had such an experience before. But I think you learn, and you become more cautious about the things you want to deal with in life, and especially about people. Now I understand better who I want to collaborate with."

Stan Wawrinka is preparing to say goodbye to professional tennis, and the Swiss veteran is expecting Gael Monfils to be among the players taking part in his farewell exhibition in December.

The 41-year-old Swiss tennis star has organized a special event in Geneva on December 19, where Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Monfils are all scheduled to appear.

However, there have been some questions about the Frenchman's participation following his recent decision to end his professional career earlier than expected.

Monfils, who turned 40 in September, was initially expected to finish his career by playing several tournaments during the final months of the season. But the former world No. 6 withdrew from his planned appearances in Lyon and Paris.

His withdrawal came during a difficult personal period, as the French veteran and Elina Svitolina recently announced their separation.

Despite those developments, Monfils remains on the official program for Wawrinka's farewell event, which will take place at the Palexpo arena in Geneva.

The three-time Grand Slam champion is scheduled to face his longtime friend in a one-set singles match. Later in the evening, Wawrinka will join Federer for a doubles contest against Murray and Monfils.

The doubles match is planned to be played over two sets, while the evening will conclude with a farewell ceremony honoring the Swiss veteran's 24-year professional career.

For tennis fans, it will also be another opportunity to watch four players who spent many years competing against each other on the ATP Tour.

The relationship between Wawrinka and Monfils goes far beyond their meetings in official tournaments.

Although the two veterans have faced each other only seven times on the ATP Tour, they have practiced together quite often during their long careers.

Earlier this season, the Swiss player spoke about his friendship with the Frenchman after they received wild cards to participate in the Monte Carlo Masters.

"He's one of my best friends on tour. We've practised so many times, not just at tournaments, but sometimes in Switzerland," Wawrinka said.

"We've always had amazing fun together. It was great that we both got a wild card here and had a chance to have one last practice on centre court. We enjoyed it a lot."

Monfils leads their head-to-head record 4-3, having won their last official meeting at Wimbledon in 2024.

The French veteran defeated Wawrinka in the second round of that Grand Slam tournament, adding another victory to his record against the former world No. 3.

Both players also made their final appearances at Roland Garros earlier this year.

Wawrinka suffered a four-set defeat against Jesper de Jong, while Monfils lost a five-set encounter against his compatriot Hugo Gaston.

The Swiss received a farewell ceremony in Paris, where several tennis stars, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Federer and Carlos Alcaraz, paid tribute to his career through video messages.

Monfils was also honored at the French Open, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon joining him on court.

The 40-year-old Frenchman later played his final Grand Slam match at the US Open, losing to American youngster Learner Tien in straight sets.

Wawrinka also said goodbye to New York this year, suffering a first-round defeat against Matteo Berrettini.

Wawrinka has enjoyed one of the most successful careers among players who competed during the era of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray.

The Swiss claimed his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2014, defeating Nadal in the final.

A year later, he beat Djokovic at Roland Garros to win his second Grand Slam tournament, before defeating the Serbian again in the 2016 US Open final.

The veteran has won 16 ATP singles titles and reached a career-high ranking of world No. 3.

He also enjoyed success alongside Federer, with the two Swiss players winning the doubles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Six years later, they helped Switzerland claim the Davis Cup title.

Federer retired from professional tennis in 2022, while Murray ended his career after the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Wawrinka, however, continued playing and decided that 2026 would be his final season on the ATP Tour.

After his last US Open appearance in August, the Swiss spoke about the opportunity to compete in New York one final time.

"Amazing atmosphere, that's for sure. That for me was the most important, having one more opportunity to play in this tournament," he told reporters.

The 41-year-old has also made it clear that he wants to enjoy his remaining time on court.

His final ATP tournament is scheduled to be the Swiss Indoors in Basel, which begins on October 24.

After that, Wawrinka will turn his attention to the December 19 exhibition in Geneva, where he is expected to share the court with Monfils, Federer and Murray before officially ending his professional tennis career.

Novak Djokovic has decided to play the ATP 500 tournament in Basel next week and will then play the Masters 1000 in Paris.

All with the aim of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin. Speaking on his podcast Served, Andy Roddick said that Novak Djokovic undoubtedly needs to play more matches at this time of year to regain his form ahead of the Melbourne event. The first Grand Slam of 2027 scheduled for January.

"I'll tell you something: I really like the way Novak Djokovic is moving, Roddick analyzed, because if you haven't played since the US Open and then you try to play just one match, maybe in Brisbane, to go straight after to win a Slam, I think it's really difficult in general. And I think it gets even more difficult as the years go by, right? I think at 40 it's a lot more complicated than even at 37, for Novak."

"Can you improvise a winning ride in a Grand Slam? - Roddick analyzed - I don't know if, in Novak's case, the answer can be immediately yes, today. I really like that he's playing to put matches in his legs. I like the idea of playing official matches towards the end of the year, before going to Australia in January."

Roddick also believes that Djokovic should also sign up for a prep tournament before the Australian Open: "I'd like to see him play three, four, five or six matches before the Australian Open. I think, at this point in his career, the fact that he's adding tournaments at the last moment can be a sign that he shares that reasoning. And I'm glad to see him do that.

I think with this he is saying: "You know, a lot of people are wondering if I'm going to be in Australia. And I think his answer is: well, if I'm not going to go to Australia, I'm not going to sign up for Basel either, right? It's not like I add Basel to the calendar and then retire," Roddick concluded.

Belinda Bencic's rough period continues after the world No. 14 delivered a poor display and suffered a surprise 5-7 2-6 loss to world No. 128 Katarzyna Kawa in the Ningbo round-of-16.

Kawa, who won two qualifying matches to reach her maiden Ningbo main draw, also went 3-0 up early against the fifth-seeded Swiss.

With the Pole leading 5-4 and serving for the opener, the nerves crept in and she was broken back. However, the 128th-ranked qualifier still won the first set after winning a marathon 12th game - in which she saved five game points before converting her fifth set point.

Making her move 🎾 Katarzyna Kawa held her nerve and she has the first set in the bag, 7-5! #NingboOpen https://t.co/xMsLOPjZ4z

— wta (@WTA) October 22, 2026

After losing the first set in heartbreaking fashion, Bencic's level collapsed as Kawa claimed breaks in the fourth and eighth games to complete a two-set win.

During the summer, Bencic dealt with a hip issue and gave a walkover to Coco Gauff in the Toronto quarterfinal before also retiring in her Cincinnati opener.

While the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist has taken part in four tournaments since, she hasn't had much success as she is just 2-5 since Cincinnati.

However, Bencic's season is still not over as she is slated to play in Tokyo next week. The Japanese capital has been lucky for the 29-year-old Swiss as she has won her last 10 matches there - she won six matches en route to winning the Olympics and four more en route to winning the WTA 500 tournament last year.

By beating Bencic, Kawa secured her first top-30 win.

Also, the 33-year-old Pole - who has never been ranked higher than No. 112 - is guaranteed to improve at least 22 spots on Monday and reach a new career-high ranking.

In the Ningbo quarterfinal, Kawa will face the winner of the match between Elena Rybakina and Polina Kudermetova.

Daniil Medvedev had an excellent tournament at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, but he decided not to stop.

He will play in Almaty this week, the 250 in Kazakhstan in which he is defending champion and number 1 seed. 'Championat' spoke to the Russian media outlet.

The Russian wanted to play in Almaty: "On the one hand, of course, it would be better to reach the final in Paris, which is worth 600 points right away, than to win the 250 title points here. But this applies to every tournament you participate in: you just try to get as many points as possible. If I hadn't thought about it, probably, logically, I wouldn't have come here, because every now and then you have to give your body a little rest. But we're at the end of the season and you have to carry on all the way. So, of course, the more points I can get here, the better."

"The tournament here is really nice. Last year I participated for the first time, it is located along the road to Europe. In Shanghai I was with my wife and children and even last year we came here all together. So we decided to come back again this year. Let's say that, if I wanted to skip a tournament to recover energy and try to arrive in Paris and Turin fresher and better trained, I would have had to give up both Almaty and Vienna. Skipping a tournament would not have made sense. In the end we decided no, to just keep playing."

Medvedev talks about the tournament in Almaty: "I come here because of the excellent organization of the tournament. Then, last year and this year I came with my wife and children, so there is a pleasant atmosphere. These are already two reasons. The third is simply the fact that I won the tournament last year. I have played some good tournaments lately. There is a bit of fatigue and you also have to deal with the time difference, but it is certainly not the first time it has happened to us. I will simply try to prepare as best I can."

Elina Svitolina has withdrawn from next week's WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo after divorcing Gael Monfils.

On Monday, the Ukrainian tennis star took to Instagram to share some major news regarding her personal life after announcing that she and Monfils were going their separate ways.

The announcement came just a couple of days after Svitolina was beaten by Sonay Kartal in the Wuhan quarterfinal.

Svitolina, who officially clinched a spot for the WTA Finals last week, was scheduled to play in Tokyo next week.

But after securing a spot for the season-ending tournament and also drawing major attention due to her split with Monfils, the world No. 6 has decided not to compete in the Japanese capital.

Had Svitolina decided to play in Tokyo, that would have marked her first appearance at the tournament since 2016. Previously, the 32-year-old made four consecutive Tokyo appearances between 2013 and 2016 and reached the semifinal in 2016.

When announcing that she was divorcing Monfils, Svitolina suggested that she had lost herself along the way and that she needed to end her marriage so she could start from the beginning.

"But some battles happen deep inside you, and no amount of love from someone else can win them for you. With time, I came to understand that I need to find my way back to myself and that I cannot do that within our marriage. It is the hardest truth I have ever had to face and the hardest thing I have ever had to tell the person I love. Gaël listened. He has respected what I need with a strength and grace I will never forget," the 32-year-old wrote on Instagram.

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Svitolina is now scheduled to return to action during the WTA Finals, which start on November 8 in Indian Wells.

Iva Jovic has made a triumphant start to her Ningbo debut after clinching a notable 6-4 6-3 win over two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini.

The 18-year-old American, who is seeded at No. 4 and had a first-round bye, fell 1-3 down early but swiftly recovered from a slow start after breaking the Italian in the fifth and ninth games to overturn the deficit and take the opener.

Iva steps out in front ☝️ Jovic takes the opening set in Ningbo against Paolini in 6-4. #NingboOpen https://t.co/Coef5eihMf

— wta (@WTA) October 22, 2026

After her serve failed her late in the first set, Paolini's serving struggles continued in the second set as she was broken four more times. And while Jovic lost her serve twice as well during the second set, her four breaks were still enough to get the job done in two sets.

Job done 💃 Iva Jovic playing outstanding Tennis and booking her place in the quarterfinals! #NingboOpen https://t.co/ICgfDZWsvA

— wta (@WTA) October 22, 2026

Now, the head-to-head between the two stands at 2-2. Previously, 30-year-old Paolini won their meetings in Indian Wells and at the US Open last year, while the American won their Australian Open clash earlier this year.

Next up for the No. 4 seed will be a quarterfinal meeting against either Washington champion Alexandra Eala or French Open semifinalist Diana Shnaider.

Eala and Shnaider will play a bit later, so it won't take long before the American learns her next opponent.

In case you missed it, Iga Swiatek - who is the ninth-ranked player in the Race to the WTA Finals - ended her 2026 season earlier this week.

That opened the door wide for Jovic to reach the season-ending tournament at least as an alternate.

Daniil Medvedev says it would be "cool" to meet home star Alexander Bublik in Almaty, but also underlines that he first must focus on overcoming his opening two tests at the Kazakh ATP 250 event.

Last year, the Russian enjoyed an outstanding debut in Almaty after winning four matches to lift the title. For the 30-year-old, that was his first ATP title since May 2025.

After Almaty helped Medvedev end a two-and-a-half-year title drought last year, the world No. 5 returned to the tournament to defend his title. And this week, he is the top seed.

Daniil Medvedev defeats Corentin Moutet 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to win in Almaty his first title since may 2023! Welcome Back. https://t.co/5Az3Rlizwg

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 19, 2025

Among the other big names featuring in the event is world No. 19 Bublik, who is the No. 3 seed and placed in the same half of the draw as Medvedev.

With that being said, it is possible for Medvedev and Bublik to meet in the Almaty semifinal.

Between 2016 and 2024, the two played six times, with Medvedev winning all six meetings. But then, in last year's Halle final, Bublik finally got his first main-level win over the Russian after completing a 6-3 7-6 (4) triumph.

"We actually haven’t played each other in quite a while. I think the last match was the one I lost to him in Halle," the 2021 US Open champion told Russian publication Championat when asked about the prospect of meeting Bublik in Almaty.

“In that sense, tennis is a strange thing. We meet pretty rarely, whereas with Struff, for example, it somehow happened that we’ve already played 12 times.

“So it’s all about the draw, and we’ll see. But again, we could only meet in the semifinal, so you have to go match by match. Every match is difficult for both me and him. Everyone wants to win, and everyone in the top-100 knows how to play.

“So if we do end up playing each other, I think it would be a good match for the spectators, at a high tennis level. And that would be cool."

As top-4 seeds, both had a first-round bye.

On Thursday, Medvedev will launch his Almaty campaign by taking on Sho Shimabukuro, while Bublik will face Fabian Marozsan.